Special advisor to government Rt. Hon. Manuel Esquivel was flown to Jacksonville Florida at midnight on Tuesday March 31. At around 8:40a.m. on Monday March 30, the former Prime Minister was traveling to Belmopan when he was involved in a traffic mishap. The vehicle, a Nissan Pathfinder, which was being driven at the time by Rt. Hon. Esquivel’s driver William Schnarr ran off the road and flipped crushingthe top of the vehicle onto itself.
Among the first to be in the area was Ministry of Natural Resources CEO Beverly Castillo who says that when she arrived on the scene Schnarr was climbing out of the vehicle while the former Prime Minister remained inside the vehicle in the front passenger’s side. She says she along with other persons tried to keep him awake until an ambulance came, and he was taken to the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan and later transferred by airplane to Belize City and on to the Medical Associates in Belize City.
Rt. Hon. Esquivel sustained four broken bones to the left arm. He also had broken bones in the shoulder, collar, left foot and also three broken ribs. His jaw was broken and he had at least four broken bones to the face.
At midnight on Wednesday, he was flown to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital where he was received at the Ryder Trauma Center. The former Prime Minister is expected to undergo facial reconstructive surgery to repair the damaged bones. He is expected to make a full recovery. Driver William Schnarr received only minor injuries with no broken bones; he is expected to make a full recovery shortly.
By all accounts of those in the area, the vehicle was not speeding when it ran off the road. Wet and slick conditions of the road are probably the primary cause of the accident. It is of note that on March 26, 1996 the then Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Manuel Esquivel was involved in a similar accident when his vehicle ran off the road while he was on his way to Belmopan. That incident occurred at mile 33 and his driver Sgt. Leslie Staine died as a result. At the time, the Rt. Hon. Esquivel received no injuries.
THANK YOU
The Esquivel family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and staff of the Western Regional Hospital and Belize Medical Associates for taking such good care of Mr. Esquivel immediately following his accident. We would also like to thank the BERT team for their prompt and careful service, as well as those people who stopped at the scene to render assistance.
We thank and acknowledge the work of the staff at Sagicor and the Social Security Board who assisted the family in making arrangements for Mr. Esquivel’s transfer to Jackson Memorial Hospital. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital who attended to Mr. William Schnarr.
We especially thank the Government of Belize, UDP supporters and others who have reached out to the family for your continued support. Whether you sent flowers, made a call, paid a visit, or simply kept us in your prayers, we are grateful to you.
Mr. Esquivel is now at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL and is expected to make a full and speedy recovery.
