_{David and Sidney Montenegro, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Mon. June 9, 2025

Two siblings of Bella Vista Village, Toledo District, lost their lives in a single-vehicle accident on Sunday, June 8, in the vicinity of Bladen Village. An additional person was injured in the unfortunate incident.

The fatal accident occurred on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway between Miles 62 and 63, sometime before 5:30 p.m. when the siblings – 21-year-old Sidney Montenegro, a female domestic worker; and 20-year-old Juan David Luis Montenegro, an unemployed male – were travelling in a brown Wingle pickup truck, which crashed alongside the road.

_{Truck that Montenegro’s were travelling in}

Juan had reportedly been driving the pickup truck home after their departure from Medina Bank when he lost control of the vehicle, which flipped into a nearby drain on the left side of the highway.

When investigators arrived at the scene, they saw the overturned pickup truck and found Sidney’s motionless body about 28 feet away from the pickup in a face-down position; while Juan and another passenger, 42-year-old Asucion Tush, a teacher from Independence Village, were found several feet away from the crash site in a face-up position.

While Sidney had been flung out of the truck when the accident occurred, both men reportedly were trapped inside the mangled vehicle but managed to crawl out, after which Juan Montenegro passed away.

Assistant Superintendent of Police, Stacey Smith, Chief of Staff, indicated that the Police Department is trying to determine whether the pickup had any mechanical failure. She confirmed that bottles of alcohol were found at the crash site.

All three persons were taken to the Southern Regional Hospital, where the Montenegro siblings were pronounced dead.

Sidney Montenegro was a talented football athlete. She played with Sagitun Girlz, becoming a vital part of the team on and off the field, and helping the team to victory in the Premier Women’s League of Belize (PWLB) championship. She was expected to represent Belize in the upcoming UNCAF tournament in July.

A day before his passing, Juan had graduated from Independence High School.

The siblings were originally from Costa Rica.