This morning at 7:30, the limestone surface of the Western Highway again proved terribly tragic.
Four members of one family were killed when their car lost traction and spun out of control - at mile 44 on the western highway.
The impact - in a word - was astonishing - and 7news was on the scene an hour after it happened - here's how it looked:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
The destruction is so complete it almost defies description. This Geo Prizm was actually ripped into two parts
The front of the car stood alone, while the back was some feet away - each side, mangled and twisted almost beyond recognition.
This is the Isuzu rodeo that crashed into it.
Denroy Tillett - Brother Of the Deceased
"I can't tell you how the accident happened, but from what I heard, it's just a loss of control of the vehicle. I had 5 family members in the vehicle, and from what the police officers told me, 4 died. One is in critical condition at the hospital in Belmopan."
Brian Chavarria came upon the scene as it was happening - he says he just saw car parts flying
Brian Chavarria - Saw Accident Unfold
"I just saw the stuff flying out of the car. I thought it was like a movie or something; I didn't know what was going on at the time, and when I came and saw it, there was just destruction."
Best information says that the Geo Prizm was heading to Belmopan and the Rodeo was coming in the opposite direction.
Here at mile 44, the driver of the Prizm, Karen Castillo suddenly lost control on the slippery road and spun out of control.
The car whirled wildly down the highway. The approaching Rodeo collided into the spinning car - likely t-boning it - and actually clipping the Prizm's back wheel underneath the bumper.
The massive impact of that collision - and the force of the spinning caused the Prizm to snap apart - hurling four of the five passengers out unto the road.
An entire family lay dead in the road: 68 year old Nicholasia Tillett, her daughter, 45 year old Karen Castillo, Karen's niece 12 year old Alicia Smith, and Alicia's father 43 year old Arthur Smith Senior - who was found in the bushes.
Somehow, 28 year old Monique Robinson - another of Nicholasia Tillet's granddaughters - survived in the font passenger seat.
They were all heading to Belmopan to apply for US Visas:
Denroy Tillett
"This morning, they were on their way to the Embassy to see if they can get visas, and I loaned my sister my car because her vehicle was not working."
Jules Vasquez
"You think that there was something structurally wrong with the car that it just - "
Denroy Tillett
"No, as a matter of fact, there are brand new tires on the front of the car, which I just bought 3 weeks ago. In January, I bought 2 more, so I took them off the front and put them on the back. So, they were brand new tires. The car certainly did not have any problem in terms of steering; that's for sure. I mean, I drove this car - I just came back from Chetumal 2 weeks ago, and I use this car every day, up and down the road. The car has no structural problems."
The problem was the road, sadly it is just another statistic attributed to the deadly limestone highway surface:
Brian Chavarria
"This road right here; this piece of road - this white pave - this is a problem. This is the problem right here; once it starts raining, it just disperses. And once you hit your brakes, or you try to overtake a vehicle, you're gone, instantly."
Denroy Tillett
"I presume that it is the wetness of the road. From what I know, it just started to rain; it was hot for so long. There's oil on the road; that could make it slippery, which could have caused the loss of control. I must say, losing all my family members is - I don't know how we're going to take it. My dad died 6 years ago, and now my mom is gone. I -"
Indeed no words to describe another highway multiple traffic fatality...
Monique Robinson - who survived in the passenger seat of the GEO Prizm is in a stable condition.
Three of the family members were going to get their visa to travel to the US in summer - and the other two were accompanying them.
The driver of the ISUZU Rodeo, 56 year old Canadian Corrine Abcock, reportedly fractured her hand - and is also stable.
Sadly the accident is the replay of the kind of collision we have seen too many times on this highway - particularly on the parts of the road with white, limestone surfaces.
In the two worse accidents that preceded it, 6 died in 2003 at mile 28, 5 died in 2010 at mile 29, and now four died today at mile 44.
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