The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE father of one of the Shirley Street car crash victims says he wants justice for his daughter and the three other teenage girls who died in the tragedy – demanding the driver face charges.

Damien Stubbs, whose 17-year-old daughter Diamond died, says a viral hospital video of the driver in Sunday’s devastating crash destroyed whatever sympathy he had for the young man, as relatives of those killed in the wreck demanded accountability.

Attorney General Wayne Munroe said yesterday that whenever there is a fatal traffic collision, authorities consider whether criminal charges are appropriate.

He noted that every unnatural death is ordinarily the subject of a coroner’s inquest unless charges arise from the incident. Depending on the circumstances, he said, authorities may consider offences ranging from killing in the course of dangerous or reckless driving, reckless driving to driving without due care and attention.

The crash killed Diamond, Betrica Brown, 18, Stania Webb, 19, and Evalena Johnson, 19. Three of the young women had known each other since growing up in Cat Island, and family members said the 19-year-old driver was also part of that close-knit circle.

A video, which circulated widely on social media, showed the 19-year-old driver being visited by loved ones in the hospital. He was lying in bed with what appeared to be a cast on his wrist while a young woman recording the video asked him to tell someone hello and confirm that he was fine. The young man turned his head and gave what appeared to be a smile to the camera before speaking.

Mr Stubbs rejected a letter circulating on social media purporting to be an apology from those in the video.

"Ain't nothing they could tell me right now,” he said. “I supposed to be taking my daughter away to college this month, not to no graveyard."

Many Bahamians condemned the footage, saying it showed a lack of remorse for the four lives lost.

For Mr Stubbs, the video was a breaking point.

He said the driver was a close friend of his daughter and had grown up with her in Cat Island. He said he had known the young man since he was a little boy and that their families were close.

He said he had spent the day planning the funeral for his ‘baby girl.’

"I felt like you don't have a care in the world for my child, what kind of friend you is?" he said.

Mr Stubbs said a relative of another victim sent him the video. He said one reason families had already been struggling to process the crash is that they and the driver’s family are from Cat Island and are familiar with each other.

He said the 19-year-old should not have indulged his friends in what he described as an insensitive act.

Diamond had graduated from high school about two weeks ago as head girl and valedictorian.

Mr Stubbs said the driver’s family has not contacted him to offer condolences since Sunday’s crash. He said he and the driver’s father travelled from Cat Island to New Providence on the same flight after learning of the crash.

"You sat on the plane with me and couldn't even say to me and my wife condolences?" he said.

Mr Stubbs said he hugged the driver’s father before boarding because he believed the man had also lost a child and felt empathy for him. It wasn’t until later that he learned the man’s son had survived.

"He is going to come out of jail,” he said. “He's not going to be in there forever.

He said whatever consequences the driver might face, ‘My daughter's going to be in the grave forever.’

Other relatives also expressed outrage over the video and photo.

Densandria Wright, Betrica’s aunt, described the footage and image as "a punch in the gut". She said they made her question whether something is wrong with today’s young generation.

She said her family’s focus is on securing justice for Betrica, who had recently earned a volleyball scholarship to attend college.

Other relatives said they continue to wonder whether the 19-year-old fully grasps the gravity of what happened.

Anthony Thompson said he raised his sister Betrica from the age of nine after their mother died. He said he wished he could speak with the driver, without revealing who he was, to understand his mindset.

"Four people died on his watch," Mr Thompson said. "I know that would torment me."