Photo: (l-r) Alex Bainton, deceased and Gilbert Tec, Jr., still in a coma
by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Dec. 5, 2024
After being involved in a road traffic accident along with his school’s basketball team on Friday evening, November 29, 18-year-old Alex Bainton, a fourth-form student at Ocean Academy in Caye Caulker Village, passed away today, Thursday, December 5, from his injuries.
Bainton was traveling to Orange Walk Town with his high school basketball teammates and two teachers to participate in the northern regional tournament the following day when, around 5:00 p.m. their van flipped and overturned after two tires ruptured around Mile 39 on the Philip Goldson Highway, causing an array of injuries to everyone onboard.
At the time, five of the most seriously injured individuals were transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize City, while seven were sent to the Northern Regional Hospital in Orange Walk Town for treatment.
In Tuesday’s edition of Amandala, it was mentioned that those persons who were taken to the Orange Walk Town hospital for medical treatment had all been released. However, five people remained in KHMH – two in recovery and three in critical care, with two of those persons, including the now deceased Bainton, in a comatose state.
Hopes were high for the recovery of all those persons who remained hospitalized, until it was announced that Bainton, who had been intubated in a coma in the ICU with head trauma from since his admission to the KHMH, had succumbed to his injuries.
Ocean Academy (OA) stated before press time this evening, “Alex, known endearingly by his friends as ‘Footy’, radiated light, love, kindness, and joy to everyone he knew. He filled every room with his bright smile and positive energy.”
“… his maturity, wisdom, and sensitivity emanated as an old soul, unmatched at his age. OA teachers, staff, and administrators loved and respected Alex, and awarded him one of OA’s most prestigious annual awards, the Ka’Ana OA Outstanding Student Award, for his exceptional, positive, and resilient leadership on the OA campus,” it ended.
As mentioned above, Bainton resided in Caye Caulker Village and was known as a well-skilled athlete, scholar, and certified open-water diver.
His teammate, Gilbert Tec, Jr. remains hospitalized in a similar circumstance as Bainton. Amandala sought comment from Heidi Curry, Principal of Ocean Academy, on Tec’s condition, but she declined to comment.
Meanwhile, a teacher, Zane Zungia, who suffered from a damaged spine which caused him to be paralyzed, is having trouble breathing and is urgently in need of surgery to repair his spine.
“Zane Zuniga is in critical condition undergoing life-saving spinal surgery in Guatemala City. Two students are being treated in preparation for spinal surgeries. These surgeries are not possible in Belize, and the medical transportation and surgeries are costly and urgent,” said Curry.
The school continues to seek financial donations. The cost of transporting Zuniga to Guatemala is an estimated 10,000 USD, while the operation cost is more than 50,000 USD.
Financial donations can be made to account number 100299151 at Atlantic Bank in the name of OCEAN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL with the deposit labeled “Medical Assistance”. For international deposits, payments can be made via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/NMPUE4UU45KV4.
