The Uh family of Trial Farm, Orange Walk is mourning the death of their father, Marciano Uh, 61, who died after he was in a road traffic accident while travelling with his family from Corozal Town to Trial Farm Village. The tragedy occurred between Miles 74 and 73 on the Philip Goldson Highway at about 6:50 p.m. on Saturday, June 8.
Police said that six Uh family members were travelling in an Izuzu Rodeo when the driver, Marciano Uh, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to run off the road and overturn. Five of the family members received various degrees of injuries, but Marciano Uh, a cane farmer, died of massive head and body injuries.
The other five family members were admitted to ward, where they are receiving medical treatment.
Police say that when they arrived on the scenethey saw the red Isuzu Rodeo on the left hand side of the highway extensively damaged, with its two front tires “busted.” They saw two men and three women with various degrees of injuries on the side of the highway, and another man was seen, apparently dead, about three feet from the vehicle.
Police said that their initial investigation revealed that the Uh family of six persons was travelling to Orange Walk Town from Santa Elena. Josiah Uh, 32, drove up for them from Trial Farm, and picked them up at the Santa Elena Border.
His father, Marciano Uh, took over the vehicle from him at the border when he saw that Josiah had been drinking.
The family members told police that Marciano Uh drove the vehicle with them from the Northern Border, en route to Trial Farm. The family said that he lost control of the vehicle when the high beams of an oncoming vehicle temporarily blinded him, causing him to lose control of his vehicle and run off the road on the left side to a distance of about 170 feet, where the vehicle overturned.
Josiah Uh told police he felt guilty that his father died. He said that if he had not been drinking, his father would not have driven the vehicle, and would not have lost his life.
Police said that although he had claimed that he was the one driving, it was his father who was driving at the time, and they were convinced that speed was involved. They said that a file will be compiled and sent to the Director of Public Prosecution for her advice. So far, no Notice of Intended Prosecution has been issued, because the driver is dead, said police.
The remaining members of the family were discharged from the Corozal Hospital, after they were treated.