Belize: 34-year-old charged with manslaughter after tragic accident that killed teenager

Belize: A tragic accident on Sunday morning has shocked the community of Maskall, Belize District as it left an 18-year-old young man dead. According to police reports, the victim Triston Ortiz was a passenger in a Toyota Hilux which was being driven by 34-year-old Gilbert Graham.  

It is being said that the accident took place around 5 am when the vehicle reportedly lost control while approaching the Old Belize River Bridge. The truck allegedly collided with the bridge railing following which it plunged around 20 feet into the riverbank below. 

Following the accident, police staff officer ASP Stacy Smith while providing details about the same said that at around 5 30 am on June 22, officers responded to reports of the fatal crash. Upon arrival on the crash site, they found the victim with visible injuries and immediately rushed him to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he later succumbed to his severe injuries.  

Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was being driven toward the bridge when it crashed into the railing which then resulted in the tragic fall. Ortiz, who was in the pan of the truck at the time of the incident, died from severe head injuries. 

Since then, Gilbert Graham has been charged by the police officials, and a urine sample was collected from him for further investigation. Police said that they still investigating the matter to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the accident.  

Driver charged with manslaughter 

The 34-year-old Gilbert Anthony Graham is a Belizean American technician from Las Vegas, and he has since been charged with manslaughter by negligence. It is said that Graham lost control of the vehicle and struck the bridge railing before plunging off the Old Belize River Bridge.  

Graham also appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday where he was reportedly granted $5,000 bail and he is due again in court on August 15 now, said the police.