CLAIMING negligence at the hospital where his son Dominic Cardinal died on Thursday and an absence of information from the police about the accident which caused his death, distraught dad Allan Cardinal is calling for truth and justice.
Dominic, 18, is the second person to have died from the October 14 accident at La Romaine which claimed the life of his friend and UWI graduate Kerissa Dowrich, 22. The third occupant of the vehicle, another friend, Dana Corbie of Palmiste, is also said to be in a critical condition at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH).
The three friends were involved in a two-way vehicular smash at the intersection near the La Romaine RC Church.
Dominic, the youngest of four children, died in the arms of his parents on Thursday at the SFGH.
In an interview with the Newsday at the Antillean Pan Yard, San Fernando, as he prepared the pans, racks and compound for Panorama next year, Cardinal mourned the loss of his son as he cried out for justice.
“We are not getting any good information from the police about how the accident happened. They are claiming the car in which my son was a passenger, broke the light. An eyewitness gave another version. The police said there are no CCTV images to prove how the accident happened.
“To make matters worse, the pickup involved in the two-vehicle smashup, has been removed from the police custody.
“We are being told that clearance was given by the Licensing Authority to move the pickup.
“My question is why would the licensing authority give authorisation to remove a vehicle from the police compound when an investigation is still active?
“The place is full of cars for accidents which happened years, months, so why the haste to move this vehicle.”
“We already lost our son, nothing can’t bring him back, but we just want justice to find out the truth about what really happened.”
He said he was doubtful they would get justice because “some people have more than others and those who have, often pay their way out.”
He expressed disappointment that neither the occupants of the other vehicle involved in the accident nor a representative, visited the families of the three children to express any kind of sorrow.
“Sometimes when you have (money) you don’t care about other people at our level.”
Recalling the accident, he said Dominic, a backseat passenger, suffered extensive head injuries. He said emergency surgery was done to stop the bleeding in his brain.
He was kept in the intensive care unit (ICU) for a few days. He was still unconscious, but breathing on his own. Then he was transferred to Ward 11, an open ward with other patients, although he was unconscious and attached to tubes.
“My son should have never been placed in an open ward. That room did not even have air condition and we had to buy two fans to keep him cool.”
He said he had to be rushed back to the ICU on two occasions as his blood pressure dropped and he developed an infection.
“After that, he did not last very long. We got a call on Thursday to come to the hospita
