Teen in Critical Condition After Christmas Day Traffic Crash in Orange Walk

A teenager is hospitalized in critical condition at the KHMH following a traffic incident on Christmas Day.  At around 5:30 p.m. in the Philip Estate area of Guinea Grass Village, Orange Walk District, 24-year-old, Nathaniel Antonio Varvallez, was reportedly driving Chevy pickup truck on an unnamed dirt road when 13-year-old, Jahaziel Copo, rode his motorcycle directly into the front wheel of the pickup.  According to Varvallez, he was looking to pass the Castillo house when the child suddenly emerged from the yard on a black Lifan scooter and collided into the left front wheel of his vehicle.  Police say the impact caused the minor to fall onto the roadway, where he sustained injuries and was observed bleeding from the nose. Investigations revealed that the child was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, and that another vehicle was parked in front of the house which prevented Varvallez from seeing the teenager coming out of the yard.    Varvallez reported that after exiting his vehicle to assist the injured minor, relatives of the child became hostile, prompting him to step aside. The relatives then removed both the child and the scooter from the roadway. The pickup sustained damage to the left front fender, while the scooter suffered a broken mud guard.  Police confirmed that Varvallez holds a valid driver’s license issued by the Orange Walk Town Council and that the vehicle he was driving was properly licensed and insured at the time of the accident.  The injured minor was first taken to the Northern Regional Hospital and later transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he remains listed in critical condition.  Photographs were taken of the area and the vehicle damages, a statement was recorded from Varvallez, and a urine sample was obtained.