Leroy Smith’s twin denied visa to attend funeral

Western Bureau:

Roy Smith, the twin brother of Leroy Smith, the 71-year-old man who collapsed and died on the floor of the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, last month, is now in distress after being denied a United States (US) visa to attend his sibling's funeral in Orlando, Florida, tomorrow.

“He (the twin brother) desperately wanted to attend the funeral, but he was denied a visa by the United States Embassy,” said Ramond Smith, the distraught man’s son. “The whole thing has made him sick … anybody who understand the bond between twins should have an understanding of how disappointed and frustrated he feels.”

The deceased man’s nephew, who was the person who transported him to the airport on the day he died, and who was also the family member called back to the airport after he collapsed while checking in to board a Jet Blue flight to Orlando, was also denied a visa.

“We got a copy of the funeral programme and a signed document from the pastor who will be officiating the funeral, which we took with us to the embassy, but unfortunately, we were denied the visa,” the younger Smith said. “Personally, I am very disappointed. In fact, I feel just as traumatised as I did when they called me back to the airport and I saw his body wrapped up in a sheet on the floor.”

While his preferred option would be to be among his overseas relatives at his beloved uncle’s funeral, the nephew said that as things are at the moment, his best option is to watch the funeral via a live-streaming arrangement that his relatives have promised to put in place.

“They (the overseas the relatives) say they are making arrangements to livestream the funeral so we can watch it, but I am sure that is not what my father wanted … he wanted to be there in person to look at his brother one last time,” said the younger Smith.

On the day of his death, the deceased man collapsed at the airport, hitting his head, which caused a bloody gash. Fellow passenger Celia Foster, who rushed to assist him, said that officials of MBJ Limited, the operators of the airport, were slow in responding to their call for help. However, the airport management said they responded within minutes.

At the time of Smith’s death, no ambulance was on the compound at the airport, but MBJ Limited said that at the time, an arrangement was in place to have an emergency ambulance service available on call. Since the incident, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz has given a directive that an ambulance be stationed at the airport during operating hours.

In the aftermath of Smith’s death, a post-mortem was done here in Jamaica, and according to his nephew, it showed that he died as a result of respiratory issues. Following the post-mortem, the body was transported back to the US for his burial.

“His (the deceased man) immediate family, including his children, are all in the United States, so they took the decision to take back the body to Florida as it would be more convenient for me and my father to travel up there for the funeral instead of all of them coming down to Jamaica,” the nephew said.

The deceased, who was still an active mechanic in Florida, had come to Jamaica to attend a funeral.

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