‘Neglectful’

WESTERN BUREAU:

SASHA-GAYE FORRESTER, the girlfriend of Donathon Dillon, the man who died after his motorcycle collided with a cow in Westmoreland last Friday night, has been left infuriated by what she claims was negligence on the part of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital.

“They are very neglectful,” Forrester charged.

The Gleaner understands that Dillon, affectionately called Dego, was thrown from the motorbike after a cow stepped into his path and caused a collision on the Waterworks main road in the western parish.

Forrester, who shares two children with Dillon, explained that she was driving along the main road with other family members when they came across the commotion.

“Mi did already on the road and mi did a drive a come down and mi see some likkle excitement a gwan. Mi see some people a run so mi a drive and a seh, ‘a wah mek dem a run suh’. Him always deh a da likkle spot deh so mi a seh a weh dem a run a go,” she recounted.

“Mi hear when dem say, a wah bike man and when mi look mi see the bike, so mi say, ‘Jesus Christ! A Dego bike!”

Forrester told The Gleaner that she was shocked at the seriousness of the incident and called for assistance to transport her partner of 11 years to the hospital.

“Mi couldn’t drive him because mi start shake same time, so somebody helped me and bring him go down a the hospital.”

She further stated that calls were then made to request that close family members join them at the hospital. This, Forrester said, was strategically done as they believed it would have influenced the level of care given out to Dillon.

“Mi start call every family because mi want dem reach a hospital before mi because mi know how dem stay when it comes on to bike accidents. They are very neglectful. Mi just want somebody out deh so dem see that he has a family because if you nuh have nobody, you a go dead,” said the grieving woman.

UNCARING STAFF

However, Forrester alleges that the doctors and nurses were uncaring as Dillon was reportedly placed on a small chair inside of the hospital.

A picture of the now-deceased man sitting on a chair has been shown to The Gleaner.

At the same time, Forrester said that the family did not observe any sense of urgency from the hospital staff.

“When mi go in there and see him, fi say a wah bike accident, dem have the man sit down clutch up inna wah chair. You wah tell mi say mi tell you say a bike accident and nobody nuh stabilise the man, put him pon a bed, brace him neck or head, put some oxygen in him, rush with him to theatre? They were so neglectful. My babyfather died of neglect. Savanna-la-Mar Hospital killed my babyfather. Mi carry wah live man go give dem and dem kill him,” Forrester argued.

The Gleaner has made several attempts at obtaining a comment from officials at the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital. However, there was no meaningful response forthcoming.

When contacted, Jamie James, the chairman of the management committee, directed The Gleaner to the hospital’s senior medical officer of health, Dr Suman Vemu, who he said had prepared a report of the incident involving Dillon.

Vemu, however, said that he was unable to provide additional information as he believes that James had already done so.

James further directed The Gleaner to a Ms Lyle, who he said is the CEO of the hospital, and she committed to offer a comment after being briefed on the matter.

After speaking with Lyle over the phone, a call was then received from public relations consultant at the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Mexine Bisasor, who stated that she would make checks on behalf of The Gleaner.

There has been no response.

UNTIMELY DEATH

Forrester bemoaned the untimely death of her 46-year-old partner. She said that Dillon was a successful businessman, who took very good care of his 14 children.

“He was our breadwinner. We can’t go without him. We a go suffer.

“He has his sisters and brothers. His mother overseas drop dung so dem affi rush her go a ER (emergency room), so everybody a have it hard right now,” she said.

Dillon was expected to celebrate his 47th birthday on Monday.

George Wright, member of parliament for Westmoreland Central, where the collision occurred, told The Gleaner that there is a need for intervention as collisions with cattle have claimed far too many lives in the parish.

“I noticed over the past month that there is a flare-up of accidents in the parish, not just my constituency, where motor vehicles and motorcycles are colliding with animals,” he said.

Wright suggested that a system be developed to properly identify the owners of these animals.

“Everyone who owns an animal must have these animals stamped so that we can know exactly who owns the animal. I think that we ought to put that into law,” he added.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com