Cuban Norly Martínez Leiva was identified as the victim of a traffic accident that happened this Monday at the exit of Santiago de las Vegas, in Havana.
Internet user Alexey Mesa wrote some heartfelt condolences for his former friend”I ask you Lord for the eternal rest of Norly Martínez. Thank you Father for giving me the opportunity to share many moments with him. Lord, give comfort to his parents, his daughter, his brothers, whole family and all like me, miss him. Give him, Lord, eternal rest and let eternal light shine on him,” he wrote on Facebook.
The incident happened on the double lane towards Mulgoba neighborhood, apparently due to speeding.
Norly, who was driving a yellow Moskvitch that was nearly destroyed after crashing into a lamp post, which broke and fell.
Due to the strong impact, the steering wheel shifted until the driver was crushed, possibly causing his death.
This accident adds to the alarming number of deaths on Cuban roads this summer, which has already reached 72 between July and August, and 1,022 crashes in total, according to official figures. In vacations alone, 44 accidents occurred and 42 were injured.
The head of the Specialized Traffic Body, Colonel Roberto Rodríguez Fernández, told the state press that this situation is due to the negligence of drivers, who violate traffic regulations, and specified that motorcycles represent half of the accidents and death, because they circulate without control or mandatory documents.
In Havana alone, in the first half of the year there were 62 deaths due to accidents, mostly pedestrians and motorcyclists. 3,025 vehicles participated, mainly cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Of the drivers, 358 did not have a license and 111 were driving drunk.
The main causes are excessive speed, with 56 injuries and 16 deaths, and pedestrian caution, with 48 injuries and 8 deaths.
