An islander was injured after the vessel he was captaining crashed into a pier. The incident occurred on the night of Saturday, March 17th. The injured person is 24-year-old Cesar Daniel Acosta, a resident of San Pedro Town. The accident took place in an area 1 ½ miles north of San Pedro Town sometime around 8PM on the given date.
According to the Belize Port Authority Acosta was the only person on board the vessel namely MV Cristy when he crashed into a pier in the vicinity between Palapa Bar and Boca Del Rio along the eastern coast of San Pedro. According to the Authority’s preliminary report, it indicates that “Captain Acosta may have been operating the vessel under the influence and this may have been the cause for the incident.” For that reason the Belize Port Authority is reminding all mariners of the importance of “Safety of Life at Sea” and a zero tolerance for “Boating under the influence in Belize.”
As a result of the incident, Acosta was taken to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II. According to Dr. Javier Zuniga, Acosta was observed with minimal external injuries and only had skin abrasions. However, Zuniga explained that Acosta presented signs of possible internal organ rupture or bleeding as he had severe abdominal pain and blood was present in his urine. As such he had to be taken for further medical attention to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The Belize Port Authority is continuing with its investigation.