The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Court Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

AN American woman was granted $18,000 cash bail yesterday after being charged with vehicular manslaughter in connection with the death of a male tourist in an ATV accident at Arawak Cay on Saturday.

Carol Garcia, 42, of Miami, Florida, appeared in court with visible bruises and marks to her forehead and nose before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt.

According to initial reports, there was a fatal traffic incident around 3.30pm on Saturday.

Police said while at Heritage Park at Arawak Cay, Garcia lost control of a green 2019 four-wheeler which resulted in the vehicle being overturned. The passenger, Wilber Jorge, was thrown from the four-wheeler and suffered serious injuries.

Jorge, a father of four from Miami, was taken to hospital where he later died. The victim’s family currently has a GoFundMe page in his name asking for donations to cover funeral expenses.

Due to the gravity of the offence, Garcia was not required to enter a plea in court. She was informed that her matter would proceed to the Supreme Court by way of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

During his bail application, her attorney Ian Cargill said his client is also a tourist from Miami and that she has no prior offences in this jurisdiction. He said the defendant is entitled to apply for bail through the Road Traffic Act and that she would return for her trial if it is granted.

While the prosecution had no objection to pretrial release, they asked that it be granted in the form of a cash bail as the accused is an American.

The chief magistrate granted Garcia $18,000 in cash bail. She further informed the defence that should Garcia’s VBI not be ready for service on May 24, she would be excused from attending that hearing.

After her arraignment Garcia was allowed a short time with relatives in court where she broke down in tears.