Joel Disus, 21, driver of Guinea Grass Village has been charged with 3 counts of manslaughter by negligence
by Charles Gladden
SANDHILL, Belize District, Thurs. Sept. 29, 2022
Early on Tuesday morning, three Crooked Tree residents—including the chairman of the village— set off in an Isuzu D-Max pickup en route to Belmopan, where they were to meet with Belize Rural North area representative, Hon. Marconi Leal, Sr., and officials of the Lands Department in an effort to get more land for Crooked Tree villagers. But they would never attend that meeting. At about 8:30 a.m., while journeying along the Philip Goldson Highway, all three men sustained injuries that would cause their deaths in a collision that occurred near Sandhill Village. The Isuzu D-Max reportedly ran head-on into a passenger bus belonging to Silva’s Bus Line which was heading in the opposite direction toward Corozal and which veered into its lane to avoid hitting persons on the road after a taxi abruptly stopped on the highway. Two of the three men in the Isuzu D-Max—chairman of Crooked Tree Village, Brandon Gillet, 32; and the driver of the vehicle, James Dawson, 59—died instantly, while the driver’s nephew, Eustace Dawson, Jr., 31, died before noon at a private hospital while receiving treatment.
According to reports, the accident occurred on a curve near Mile 17 on the Philip Goldson Highway in Sandhill Village. The Silva’s passenger bus crossed onto the left lane of the highway and placed itself in the direct path of the incoming D-Max, which, according to some reports, was traveling at high speed—resulting in a deadly collision that caused extensive damage to the Isuzu pickup. So extensive was the damage that first responders had to use the Jaws of Life to extract James Dawson and Brandon Gillett from the vehicle, in which they were trapped.
The conductor of the Silva’s passenger bus, Jonathan Estrada, told local reporters that the accident was caused by a taxi that stopped in the middle of the road.
“It was a taxi’s fault. They stopped in the middle of the road, and to not crash into the taxi or kill the people that were standing there, we came off the road, but look like the Hilux, he got shocked and he come off the road and, head on. But we weren’t going fast. It was the pickup that was going fast, and they crashed into us and thing, and all of this happened. So when we did, we come off the road completely because you can see what happened. The Dmax looked like he got frightened and come off of the road and came into [us] head-on. And dah what killed them is mostly their speed, cause they were going fast,” he said.
It has been reported that the same taxi left the scene after the accident, without any aid being offered by its occupants.
Following the accident, Minister Leal, with whom the men were scheduled to meet, told local reporters, “It’s a sad day, not only for Crooked Tree, but these guys are well known all over Rural North, so it’s a crushing blow for all of us. I was heading to Belmopan. We were supposed to have a meeting with them along with myself and Lands [Department], because we’re trying to get more land in Crooked Tree for residents of Crooked Tree. These guys are working for the people. They’re on the job. When I got the message, I had to hurry call and cancel the meeting and try to get back here to support the family.”
Leal noted Gillett’s unrelenting efforts to pursue the interests of residents of his village, and said that he had in fact been at Gillett’s home over the weekend and they had discusssd Gillett’s plans to improve Crooked Tree. “I was at his house Saturday night, me and my wife and my son, the CEO, just socializing, just talking about what we can do for Crooked Tree, and for this to happen just a few days after, it’s really sad, knowing that he’s so aggressive, want to get things done for Crooked Tree, and a young man. I think about his wife and his son. I love his son, little Warren. When I heard it’s three of them, I started to wonder if it’s the chairman and his son, the son in there. That’s why we had to ask, and no, it’s not Warren, because I love Warren so much,” he said.
The families of Gillet and Dawson are both grieving this tremendous loss. The Gillett family, in particular, has experienced a tragedy of this nature before. In 2003, the father of Gillett, Warren Tillett, was killed in an accident on the Western Highway.
In reference to James Dawson and his nephew, Eustace Dawson, Jr., Minister Leal said, “I don’t know Eustace that well. I knew his dad more than I knew the son, but I was at a workshop like a month ago with cattle, so I know he’s into the cattle business, and he was there asking a whole lot of question, and that was when I really got to know the young man. But James, I know him for years, many, many years, and I know he’s a worker for his community …” Notably, the men were also scheduled to meet with representatives of the Livestock Department on the morning that the accident occurred.
A candlelight vigil was held in Crooked Tree Village at its multi-purpose building to honor the lives of the three beloved residents of the village on Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
The family of Gillett is pleading with the public for financial assistance to cover funeral expenses and has opened a GoFundMe account under the name “Brandon Gillett’s Funeral Expenses”, with the goal of raising 10,000 USD.
The driver of the Silva’s passenger bus, 21-year-old Joel Disus of Guinea Grass Village, was served with a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP), and tonight, police reported that he has since been charged.
“Reference fatal RTA that took place at Sandhill Village on 27/09/22, on Thursday 29/09/22, Police formally arrested and charged Joel Omar Disus, 21 years, driver of Guinea Grass Village for (1) Drove Motor vehicle without due care and attention; (1) Count of Fail to keep to the extreme right hand of the road;(3) Counts of Manslaughter by Negligence; (3) Counts of Causing death by Careless Conduct to James Glenford Dawson, Eustace Dawson Jr. and Brandon Gillett.” A late evening police report stated.