Survivors recall horror of Corentyne minibus crash

By: Andrew Carmichael

Two survivors of last week’s deadly Corentyne Highway smash-up are sharing chilling accounts of the tragedy that left 18 injured and two dead, including 16-year-old student Jodea Seline and the bus driver Jerome Bernard.

Twenty-year-old teacher Jaden Harte, who suffered head and chest injuries, said the crash continues to replay in her mind.

“Every time I close my eyes, I’m back there,” she said, explaining that even walking is difficult and she remains traumatised after being discharged from hospital.

Harte recalled sitting in the front seat beside the driver, as the minibus attempted to overtake two vehicles. At the same time, someone was chasing three horses onto the roadway.

“The driver pulled the handbrakes and tried to swerve… but it was too late and we began to flip,” she said. Harte was thrown through the front windshield.

She regained consciousness on the roadside and ran toward the injured students. “The first person I ran to was Jodea… she didn’t have no pulse,” she said.

Also speaking out is Aviola “Abolia” George, the mother of 13-year-old survivor Sodia George. She said the call informing her of the accident left her frozen.

“When the teacher called me, I left shock,” she said, adding that she immediately began praying for her daughter and the other children.

Sodia, who is now home, is still showing signs of trauma and memory loss. “Sometimes she remembers, sometimes she doesn’t…,” her mother said.

The police had stated that on Friday last, the minibus, bearing registration number BAB 7570, was proceeding along the roadway at Number 62 Village, when the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to topple onto its right side.