STANN CREEK–Three popular KREM Radio personalities who were returning to Belize City from the official Garifuna Settlement Day ceremony in Dangriga yesterday, November 19, were involved in a traffic accident that occurred shortly before 2:00 p.m. on a vintage one-lane bridge at Steadfast Village, Stann Creek.
The daunting ordeal took place when a trailer truck slammed into the white Ford Escort SUV in which Lisa “Love” Kerr, Anthony Grant, a.k.a. “Tony G”; and Yvonne Dionicio, a.k.a. “Ras Von;” were traveling, as they were crossing the bridge, located around Mile 17 on the Hummingbird Highway.
Kerr, an employee of KREM for the past 20 years, recounted the circumstances surrounding the nightmarish incident to our colleagues at KREM News today.
“The incident happened about ten minutes to 2:00 yesterday afternoon. We had left Dangriga after we finished our 19th November Garifuna Settlement Day coverage. We found a suitable location to broadcast the parade and [when it was over], we stopped by a gas station and then we came up the highway to head home. At the bridge in Steadfast Village, we were already on the bridge about to get off the bridge when we saw a white truck with a loader on its bed, and he didn’t get off our path and get on the side of the road. He came directly toward us, we were already on the bridge more than halfway trying to get off and he came and crashed right into us. The first thing the guy told us after we checked if everybody was okay and our driver came out of the vehicle was: ‘I didn’t see you.’ I don’t know how he couldn’t have seen us; we were already on [the bridge].”
It was quite rainy yesterday when the incident happened, and Kerr explained that for that reason, they were going at a moderate pace, but the trailer truck, which had reportedly been coming at a high speed, was not able to slow down in time to avoid the accident.
“It was crazy!” Kerr stressed, as she narrated how the sight of the inescapable oncoming heavy-duty truck remains etched in her memory.
She told reporters that all they could have done was to brace for the impact and after the accident, everyone in the vehicle held their composure – gratified that none of them were seriously hurt.
The radio announcer said that she initially felt pain in her left foot, between her knee and ankle, and that she had to wait a few minutes to regain her sense of serenity because, she said, “when the vehicle crashed into us, it pushed us back on an angle. I was on the passenger side and I couldn’t get out from that side, and I just had this intense pain in my foot, so I had to calm down and wait before I maneuvered my way over to the driver’s side to get out.
“When I got out and tried to stand, I went down on my knees and I just had to hold on [to the vehicle]. By that time, we had assistance from many people, so I’m truly grateful to everybody who came out and immediately helped us,” she affirmed.
Kerr emphasized that most of all, she is thankful to have come out of the accident alive, since the outcome could have been much worse.
“Ras Von” complained of body pain and Anthony “Tony G” Grant, the driver, suffered minor injuries.
The KREM crew received medical attention at the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga and was released that same day.