The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE second Bahamian man involved in a fatal traffic accident in New Haven, Connecticut earlier this month has died, officials confirmed over the weekend.

Kenu Adderley, 26, died around 8.30 pm on Friday, days after his friend Raymond Rolle Jr, passed away following the deadly car crash.

According to reports, sometime around 3.30 am on April 9, workers from the New Haven Fire Department were called to the intersection of Congress Avenue and College Street where a black Chevrolet Cruz was significantly damaged from hitting a tree.

Fire crews worked to put out the flames of the actively burning vehicle and remove both men using the jaws of life.

However, paramedics and medical teams confirmed that one of the passengers died of his injuries. He was identified as 21-year-old Rolle Jr – a student at the University of New Haven in West Haven.

The other passenger, who was said to be the driver, was Adderley, a graduate of the University of New Haven.

He was taken to hospital after the crash, where he was initially listed in stable condition.

However, in a statement released over the weekend, a government official said: “We regret to advise that Kenu Adderley, the Bahamian student who survived the fiery crash in Connecticut, passed away about an hour ago around 8.30 pm…April 15.”

News of Adderley’s death prompted sad reactions from loved ones on social media over the weekend.

One of them was Adderley’s sister, who described him as an intelligent and driven young man who had a bright future.

“Words cannot explain the feeling I feel right now,” the close relative posted on Facebook. “My brother was intelligent, driven, focused, goal-oriented and most definitely a strong black man.

“The love he had for his family to become the one to get us out of struggling was on its way. He was focused on exactly how his life should be. He finished with his master’s in civil engineering and always promised us he will be somebody and we would never have to worry about anything ever again. He took his youth buried in his books. Never got a chance to actually live life and enjoy a lot of his accomplishments. I just wish he didn’t have to go like this. It breaks my heart to watch such a kind-hearted soul go.”

Meanwhile, family members have described the loss of Rolle Jr as a tough blow.

His father, Raymond Rolle Sr, told The Tribune last week that he was in disbelief initially to hear of his son’s death, especially as the men were headed to pick up the components they needed to complete a school project.

He said officials have told the family rain was a factor in the crash.

“My wife Linda and I and my son and daughter, we would be up late in the night because we are close-knitted and going for dinner all the time and he was the life of the family and he was a bundle of joy. So, this is a huge blow,” Mr Rolle, Sr, told this newspaper.

“We were looking forward to him graduating, especially just speaking with him the night before. I was in disbelief. When they called my wife, she was at the hotel they were having a gathering and they called her and when she called me at home, I heard my daughter. I couldn’t believe it. I said there has to be another side to this story, maybe my wife didn’t get it right.

“It’s going to be rough but by the grace of God we will make it.”