The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Minnis administration must stand its ground and not cave in to the unreasonable demands of the family of the late Garvinisha Carey -- the young lady who succumbed to injuries caused by a horrific traffic accident in the Munnings Road area after colliding into a concrete blockade which were erected by the Ministry of Works.

I can appreciate the solemn fact that the Carey family is grieving the loss of their beautiful daughter. I cannot possibly fathom the thought of having to bury any of my daughters. We have a saying in The Bahamas that parents shouldn’t have to bury their children. Ideally, it should be vice versa.

Hundreds of Bahamian parents are able to commiserate with the Careys. In their anguish, the family seems to have placed the blame for this tragic incident on the doorstep of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Works Minister Desmond Bannister.

Reading their comments in The Tribune, I was left with the impression that the Careys sound like politicians. I am left to wonder if their statement to the press was scripted by a particular wannabe parliamentarian who is purportedly representing them.

I would hope that this tragedy isn’t being used as a political stick to beat Minnis with.

Understandably, the Carey family is currently in the midst of their grieving process. By the same token however, I believe they are wrong in attempting to scapegoat Minnis and Bannister for this tragedy.

By demanding that Bannister resign as minister of Works, the Careys are implying that he is in some way, shape or form responsible for the death of their daughter.

I implore Bannister to ignore such calls. Bannister did nothing wrong. I also implore the Free National Movement administration to ignore calls to issue a financial settlement to the family, as such a move could set a bad precedent for other motorists who fail to exercise due care and attention while driving on public roads. Neither Minnis nor Bannister was behind the wheel of that 2013 Hyundai Elantra on that fateful morning.

The issue of collective responsibility or guilt simply does not arise in this matter. You cannot blame them for this accident, anymore than you can blame successive governments for the hundreds of traffic fatalities throughout the country.

I understand that not only was the vehicle extensively damaged, but that the barrier, which probably weighs several tons, was moved, due to impact.

According to an officer at the scene of the accident, speed was definitely a factor. The speed limit on Munnings Road is 25mph. What is the likelihood of an accident of that nature occurring at a speed of 25mph?

In my layman’s opinion, the victim must have been driving above the speed limit, based on the degree of the damage to the vehicle.

Any forensic scientist that is worth his salt can prove this. I understand that the residents in the area lobbied their MP to have that road closed. Hundreds were using it as a throughway. This posed a danger to the residents in the nearby communities. In fact, some 283 police traffic tickets were issued to motorists who accessed Munnings Road in 2017, according to the Minister of Works.

Bannister was well within his sovereign rights in making the decision to convert that road into a cul-de-sac. This decision was not made unilaterally. The residents lobbied for the conversion. We can argue about the lack of road signage and lighting before this tragedy. If it was dark, were the car lamps working adequately? If the accident occurred around 6am, there should have been sufficient light, as the sun rises shortly after the said hour.

We can argue whether or not sufficient notice via ZNS and the print media was given to the general public. But all that becomes moot when other factors which led to this horrific accident are dispassionately considered. There have also been rumours that the victim may have been somnolent, as it was early in the morning. This rumour is being fuelled by social media. I am sure that the relevant authority has seen this crucial bit of information also, which was immediately taken down from off an individual’s Facebook or WhatsApp page days after the accident. If this goes to litigation, this piece of evidence will be pivotal for the Minnis administration’s case. Only God knows what happened on that fateful morning when the life of young Garvinisha Carey ended tragically on Munnings Road. One thing objective Bahamians do know, however, is that neither Minnis nor Bannister should be blamed for this tragedy. I feel bad for the Careys. But unfairly blaming the Minnis administration for their loss is not the avenue they should take.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

July 1, 2018.