Belize: Man dies after motorcycle crashes into culvert in Orange Walk District

Belize: A 40-year-old man, the resident of San Lazaro Village in Belize's Orange Walk District died after a traffic collision involving a motorbike on the road heading to Yo Creek Village on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

Based on the police account provided following the incident, officials were informed about the incident at around 8:30 a.m. notifying that an unresponsive man had been located under a motorcycle in a roadside drainage ditch, approximately one mile before arriving at Yo Creek.

Police have confirmed the name of the victim as Bernardo Joel Melara, 40, living in San Lazaro Village and served as an employee for the Belize Sugar Industries (BSI), Officials after reaching at the incident side discovered Melara under a black Lifan dirt bike, near the opening of a drainage culvert. The individual suffered several critical wounds, with a trauma to the face, a fracture on a left forearm and serious injuries on his left leg.

Initial reports reveal that the collision took place between Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning. According to the investigators Melara was en route from Yo Creek to Orange Walk Town when he seemingly turned sharply in the right direction of the roadway. Police stated that he may have failed to maintain the control of the motorbike and crashed with a culvert.

Melara was taken to the Northern Regional Hospital and subsequently he was declared dead at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. His body was later transported to the morgue and a post-mortem examination of the body is awaited.

The motorbike was later taken into police custody at the Orange Walk Police Station and is anticipated to go through an assessment process as police are investigating into the conditions around the crash. Currently no further information has been provided by the authorities regarding the incident additional details are subject to the ongoing investigation.