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Drunk Driver Killed Well Known Public Officer
posted (August 1, 2016)
A well-known public servant died yesterday after she was crushed between a car and a street post. It happened on Saturday morning after 6:00 when 54 year old Emily Guy was standing on the sidewalk of west Collet Canal Street, near the Michael Finnegan Market. An out of control car careened off the bridge and crashed unto the sidewalk, crushing Guy.

We spoke to the family and police about this heartbreaking accident and Courtney Weatherburne has the story:..

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
Emily Guy was proud to be a Jehovah Witness. She went to church meetings every Wednesday and Sunday and was an active member.

She would always go out into the community and spread knowledge about her religion. Guy especially liked to converse with passersby at the Michael Finnegan Market on Saturday mornings and this Saturday was no different. But what started off as a routine morning ended in tragedy.

Guy was standing on the sidewalk with her Bible and copies of the "Awake" magazine when a black DODGE CALIBER raced over the bridge and slammed into Guy, pinning her between the car the post.

Robertina Carrillo, Mango Vendor
"I was packing my goods to sell when I heard the noise. He was going to knock the police, but he turned and went straight into the post."

The impact sliced her right foot off from the knee down. Her left leg was also broken and she got a major head injury. Guy's son rushed over to the hospital as he got the news and saw his mother's crushed limbs.

Mark Burges, Son
"When I got there I got to see her in the room. at the first glimpse of her I noticed she had one leg, the left, but I was looking at the right side and then I saw they had already cuffed the little piece that was there, because it looks like below the knee was removed from the accident. She was fully conscious at the time and they were working on the left foot because I understand the left foot was also broken but in the leg."

But her condition got worse because she lost too much blood and on Sunday morning she died at the KHMH. Burges believes that his mother could have still been here if the entire situation was handled properly. He also considered his mother's religious choice.

Mark Burges, Son
"The response time was somewhere around 45 minutes. The eye witness was over 50 strong ready to remove the vehicle from off her but the police were stopping them. When the fire truck finally came, they lift the vehicle and pulled it off her and that's what I don't underhand in situations like that, you do more harm than good. Then upon arrival to the hospital, none of KHMH's portable machines were working so they couldn't see if she had head injury, any internal injury, they couldn't even do a simple x-ray on her leg, they were just going by what they could see. She is a Jehovah witness and she signed her own paper to state that she wouldn't take blood, that's her religion which she loved very much."

While the family says the police could have done more, they say they did the best they could give the circumstances.

ACP Chester Williams, O. C. Eastern South
"When we have incidents with shooting and so forth, we are ready to remove the victims and take them to the hospital which we should not, but because of our effort to try and save lives, we do. But when it comes to traffic accident victims, when a person is involved in an accident, it is always difficult to ascertain the nature or degree of the injuries. Sometimes moving them can cause more bad than good."

But one good thing the police definitely did was charge the driver, 29 year old Victor Gibbs.

ACP Chester Williams, O. C. Eastern South
"Even if she refused the blood transfusion, she could have lived. That does not negate responsibility from the driver of that motor vehicle. The driver had been in our custody since the accident occurred and he was charged on Saturday for driving without due care attention and yesterday his charges were upgraded to manslaughter by negligence."

Courtney Weatherburne
"We understand he was under the influence. Was he drunk?"

ACP Chester Williams, O. C. Eastern South
"Well I am no doctor and the police officers are no doctor, we are no chemist, but we have done all that needs to be done to be able to ascertain whether or not he was under the influence or was in a stable state of mind. We had done blood and urine sample that will be sent to the lab and as soon as those results come back, which has been charged for that, then it will be used to substantiate the charge for which he has been charged. It could be a case that he lost control of the vehicle and that caused the accident, the investigation is still ongoing, but by any account, from what we're seeing in the investigation, he was at fault hence the reason he was immediately charged for the incident."

But for the grieving family, no amount of charges will bring back their loved one. Burges reflected on his the deep motherly love she had for her kids and the impact she had everyone through her church and her public service career.

Mark Burges, Son
"My mom she was there for everything when I needed her. What I really miss is lately she's been coming home late from work and she would come to the door, as she walked in the yard, she would ask what we cooked for the day. on weekends when I would leave the house, she would be texting me, maybe if I'm not home at around 12 or something, 'are we going to be late' and that's because I'm grown and have my own family that I live with but that's just her and the protection she gives me. she has a lot of extended family, a lot of people that looked up to her like a mother, a lot of people that she taught in classes for work, accounting class, so a lot of public officers look up to her."

The driver, Victor Gibbs was charged with 6 offenses: Manslaughter by Negligence, causing death by careless conduct, Drove a motor vehicle with alcohol concentration above the prescribed limit, two counts of negligent harm. Victor Mason Gibbs was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until October 3, 2016.

2 other persons were also injured in the accident: a woman who was standing next to Guy and a coconut water vendor who was stationed near the post. They survived. Guys post mortem was conducted this evening and it was found that she lost too much blood. She leaves behind 3 children.

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