Elderly woman knocked down in Belize City

Accident on Baghdad Street

Wednesday, February 19, 2015. AARON HUMES Reporting: This afternoon around 1:32 p.m. according to Police, 19-year-old Boyd Lopez of a Belize City address was driving on Baghdad Street in a Toyota Highlander when he lost control of his vehicle and knocked down a 70-year-old woman.

The victim has been identified as retired educator Marie Knowles.

According to reports, Marie Knowles was walking home to her residence on Water Lane in Belize City when the out-of-control minivan struck her as she was walking on the sidewalk.

Boyd Lopez apparently lost control of the vehicle near Belizean Meat Pies store on Water Lane and zigzagged from the right side of the street to the left side where Knowles was walking, approximately 15 feet away from where she was struck. 

After the minivan hit Knowles it ended up back on the right side of the street where it slammed into a parked White Mitsubishi Montero. 

Eyewitnesses say Knowles was severely injured as she was flung into the air and landed on her face on the pavement.

An ambulance transported her to the KHMH where at least one surgery was scheduled to perform a tracheotomy.

Her condition is described as grave – Knowles received a huge gash to her hip and trauma to the head.

One of the eyewitnesses told reporters it unfolded in the blink of an eye and that another woman who was sitting on a green plastic chair narrowly escaped injury – the minivan had pushed the parked Montero several feet and she had to clear out to avoid being hit.

Lopez had borrowed the vehicle from an Asian man who later arrived on the scene and reportedly does not have a driver’s license.

One of Mrs. Knowles’ sons, Cecil Knowles, told us that he was home on sick leave when he heard a commotion outside.

Cecil lives next door to his parents.

It was not until a neighbor alerted him that one of his family members had been struck by a vehicle and was lying in the street that he went to investigate.

He told us that he rushed to the scene and saw his mother laboring to breathe.

The scene quickly became volatile as relatives of the victim tried to interact with Lopez who was assisting police officers giving them his version of events.

We understand that he was blaming the accident on faulty brakes.

Lopez has been issued a notice of intended prosecution pending charges.

Marie Knowles has an extensive teaching career that spans almost 40 years.

Most of those years were spent at St. Mary’s Primary School in Belize City.

She spent the last ten years of her career as a teacher at All Saints Primary School.

She tutored and also assisted at the YMCA.

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