Riding alone in the back of a pickup truck on his way back from doing a painting job in Belmopan last Thursday evening, September 15, Ladyville Jaguars youth football coach Michael “Wataplat” Flowers was looking forward to playing in the Over-40 football tournament with either Plaza, Lake or Yabra, and also taking his family to the Expo over the weekend. But everything was put on hold when Wataplat said the pickup suffered a front tire blowout near the Coastal Road junction around Mile 30 on the Western Highway, and after a few moments as the driver struggled to control the swerving vehicle, Wataplat suddenly found himself flying high through the air, as the vehicle ran into a ditch and flipped after coming to a jolting halt when it hit an obstruction.
On the spur of the moment, the 48-year-old Wataplat relied on his athletic instincts and dexterity, and may have saved his own life when he pushed out his hands to break his fall as he was landing headfirst into the ground. He suffered a couple badly sprained fingers and abrasions on his arms, but the most serious injury was to his right leg which was broken above the right knee, as his body slammed onto the ground which was interspersed with rocks. Due to the nature of his injury, Wataplat, though suffering intense pain, could not be moved immediately, and remained lying in the ditch for close to an hour until he was taken by ambulance to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where this morning he underwent surgery to the right leg. (Reportedly, three others inside the front of the pickup sustained scrapes and bruises, but were quickly released from the hospital.)
Due to incomplete official reports, Amandala and football fans were not aware of Wataplat’s predicament until late Friday morning when his wife, Dalia, who has been by his side for the past 21 years, contacted our sports desk.
Of late, since his taxi has been experiencing mechanical problems, Wataplat had been venturing into Amandala sales in the Ladyville area, and said he is concerned that his clients may have been disappointed this past weekend. He would like to apologize to them, and to let them know he will be back as soon as he is able.
A “Jack” of many trades, Wataplat had answered a call from a Ladyville contractor last week Monday for a painting job at a tennis court in Belmopan, but for three consecutive days the job was postponed due to the rains. Finally, on Thursday they managed to complete the task, and it was on the way back to Belize City shortly after 4:00 p.m. that tragedy struck.
Dubbed the “buzzer beater” in a newspaper column some years ago by Gilroy “di Press” Cadogan for his last-minute goal-scoring exploits in amateur football,Wataplat has been a fixture on the Ladyville and Belize City football scene for the past decade, during which he has built up a reputation for nurturing and mentoring young footballers, who, along with his sons, learned the basic skills and, more importantly, sportsmanship and discipline, under his tutelage with the Ladyville Jaguars U-12 and U-15 teams he has coached. In the Ladyville sporting community, Michael “Wataplat” Flowers enjoys an iconic status similar to Jerome “Peeloff” Meheia in the Yabra area of Belize City.
Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to “di ‘Plat.”