BELIZE CITY, Mon. Mar. 21, 2022– On March 5, while traveling from their home in Maskall Village on a motorcycle to their respective workplaces—one at the National Fire Service headquarters in Belize City and the other at a National Fire Service facility in Ladyville—two women, who are cousins, were hit by a hit-and-run driver and are now badly injured.
Chyrol Morgan and Raven Bennett are residents of Maskall Village. Morgan is employed as a firefighter in Belize City and Bennett as a National Fire Service radio attendant in Ladyville.
Both ladies were on their way to report for their 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. night shift when they were knocked down by an unknown vehicle and left for dead near Boston Village. The women survived the accident but were badly injured—with Bennett having to have a leg amputated, and Morgan possibly needing a skin graft due to a large leg wound.
The incident occurred over two weeks ago, but Melanie Bennett-Castro, the mother of Raven Bennett, told AMANDALA that the last time she had gotten an update from the police about the incident was last week.
“Well, what happened, all they’re saying is that they’re investigating and they had a suspect that they had arrested for 48 hours and was released, but they said that they have to do more investigation, and up until now, I haven’t heard anything on it. I know they have viewed cameras, and so on. I’ll be honest with you, I really don’t know the details that much when it comes to the police,” noted Castro.
Residents of the area know the road can be quite dangerous at night, as there is limited lighting along that portion of the highway. According to Castro, Morgan has been commuting to her job on her motorcycle for about 4 years, and her daughter has gotten a ride from her on countless occasions, since they both are employed by the National Fire Service.
“It’s very curvy; it’s a road that’s very curvy and it doesn’t have much light. You have to be someone that knows this road and is familiar with the road that commutes regularly to really drive this road, and if you’re speeding on the road you will definitely have problems on that road. For the situation with my daughter, Raven, and Chyrol Morgan, she has been commuting on that road, back and forth, for 4 years going to her job as a firefighter on [a] motorcycle and it wasn’t the first time either my daughter caught [a] ride with her on that motorbike. Because they both work at the fire station but Chyrol is a firefighter and my daughter is a radio/telephone operator for the National Fire Service, the main branch in Belize City. So they were on their way to their job when this unfortunate incident happened,” Castro explained.
The family of both victims is organizing a fundraiser at the Maskall Community Center to aid in covering all the medical expenses that have been incurred to treat the two women’s injuries.
“My daughter Raven Bennett, she lost her left leg, and Chyrol she got huge lacerations on her left leg also and she still is in the hospital because the doctors are trying hard to save her left leg. We’re having a turkey dinner which will take place this Friday the 25th. We will be delivering in the city, and along the road, and also [on] the 26th which is this Saturday, we will be having [a] football marathon and mountain bike races at the Maskall Community Center. We will have drinks on sale and afterward, we will have a dance. All proceedings will be going to medical bills, because as you know, my daughter has therapy and doctor appointment and she has therapy two times a week and Chyrol is still in the hospital,” said Castro.
Those wishing to provide assistance to the family can contact the mother of Raven Bennett at 614-7986 or the sister of Chyrol Morgan, Ebony Arnold, at 600-4100.
Both victims are young mothers. Morgan has three kids, one of whom is a nine-month-old, and Bennett has two sons.