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At least two people, one of them a minor, lost their lives this Wednesday in a tragic traffic accident that took place in Loma de Justiz, in the area of Guanabo, in the municipality of Habana del Este.
The victims, an eight-year-old boy and a 20-year-old young man, were struck by a car that, according to witnesses, was allegedly speeding, left the road, and hit them.
A third pedestrian remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Witnesses of the event, who shared photos and information about the incident on social media, reported that the vehicle, a white Hyundai, struck the three pedestrians who were walking along the edge of the road.
The images shared show the white Hyundai with its front completely smashed, parked on the side of the hill, and at least two motorcycle police officers inspecting the scene.
The impact was so severe that the child and the young man died instantly.
The driver, identified as Richard González, was traveling with three other individuals who sustained minor injuries.
According to one of the testimonies shared on social media, after the hit-and-run, the driver attempted to flee but was intercepted by law enforcement officers and is currently detained at the Guanabo police station.
However, this version was questioned by internet user Yuleisy Lazo, who identified herself as a relative of the driver and denied that her cousin attempted to flee the scene.
"It is a great tragedy for the family (including me, as I am his cousin!) and we need to carefully examine what happened. There is too much speculation. First of all, he never fled the scene. He went directly to the police station as soon as the events occurred! I am deeply sorry, with pain in my soul, and I also speak on behalf of the family. We are very sad about what happened. But please, don't believe everything that is published," she wrote in the comments section of a post by Yuriel Fernández regarding the tragic event.
A black mark for road safety
The site of the accident, Loma de Justiz, has been the subject of multiple complaints from local residents, who consider that section a critical point due to its danger.
According to several internet users, the poorly paved road, lacking proper sidewalks in several sections, poses a daily risk to pedestrians, including many children and students.
One of the voices that has resonated the most is that of Dariela Muñoz, a local resident and indirect witness to the tragic event.
"The accident, unfortunately, happened at the corner of my house, and thank God I didn't witness it, because I would have had a heart attack. I knew both of the deceased, and the pain squeezes my chest so much that I still can't process it," wrote Dariela Muñoz on Facebook, who said she lives very close to the accident site.
"Needless to say, that hill is terrifying. When are the relevant authorities going to fix the mess of a road they have there? It's a danger since it doesn’t even have a proper sidewalk. Cars cross the path however they want, and they come right at you without a care. And then there are the trucks speeding down to the water intake. It's disgusting to go down that hill," he added.
According to the neighbor, this has not been the first fatal accident to occur in that area, and she expressed her concern for the anxiety of mothers whose children must pass through that zone every day to go to school.
In fact, several residents recalled another fatal accident that occurred two years ago at the same location, when a motorcyclist lost his life in a collision with a tourist vehicle.
Worrying figures
This week, the Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, made public the road accident statistics for the first quarter of the year.
According to the report, 173 people lost their lives in traffic accidents between January and March 2025, representing an 18% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Although the total number of accidents decreased from 1,882 to 1,738 and the number of injuries reduced from 1,601 to 1,514, pedestrian accidents remain one of the leading causes of death on Cuban roads, ranking as the third cause within this category.
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