Brandon George case now with coroner; Pickup driver may walk free
BVI News Staff - Thursday, December 6th, 2012 at 8:52 AM
Brandon George
The driver implicated in the tragic death of scooter rider Brandon George is likely to walk free as it appears prosecutors are having a tough time finding enough evidence to prove culpability.
The file surrounding the September 27 crash along Walter Francis Drive has passed through the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The matter is now in the hands of the Coroner.
18 year-old George of Huntum’s Ghut drew his last breath at Peebles Hospital on the evening of September 27, hours after being involved in the crash that reignited a fiery debate about the use of scooters.
On the day of the accident, police reported that it involved the youngster’s scooter and a Mitsubishi Pickup. Not much detail was given.
The officers later told BVI News that the George was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and that the Mitsubishi driver was cooperating fully with investigators.
A number of witnesses were interviewed. The police later sent the case file to the Office of the DPP for it to decide if the Mitsubishi driver is to be charged. The file was with the DPP’s office for roughly two months.
Police Information Officer Diane Drayton confirmed yesterday that the Office of the DPP has now dispatched the case file to the Coroner’s Office.
Trying to make sense of the move, one legal expert told BVI News that sending the file to the Coroner could mean that the Office of the DPP is having difficulties finding enough evidence against the Mitsubishi driver.
Had there been enough evidence, the lawyer said the file would have gone straight back to the police with certain instructions.
The attorney further stated that the Coroner – once in receipt of the case file – may advise that the case either be closed or that an inquest be convened. That would be an enquiry into the matter held before a jury.
The lawyer further told BVI News that witnesses taking part in inquests are often the very persons whose statements would have been incorporated in the case file already perused by the Office of the DPP.
Hence, the attorney thinks the likelihood of charges being laid is very slim.
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11 Comments
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Dude dead that is it …lets move on…he wasn’t murdered it was an accident…that man whomever he is wasn’t trying to send no message or make sure the scooter driver got mash up it was bad timing and YES I WAS THERE….if i peceived that man to pull out with ill will I would be more than happy to tell the authorities what I saw and my opinion on it.
The other scooter riders do a lot of crap on the road so Now there is no benefit of doubt for the deceased… because you are on a scooter and you can go around vehicles when there is traffic ..does not mean to run over pedestrians.. and scare other drivers into accidents..I am sorry for the deceased and his family but the scooter riders need to come together and decide to speak with the other bikers that are not trying to obey the rules of the road… I am not against these bikers because there are car drivers that are not obeying also.. life is too precious to be lost like this..
God Speed
And Everyone have a safe holiday season
Vehicular incidents which have the outcome of a fatality here in the VI imo are not sufficiently investigated by the adequate persons – ie to say that there is no forensic engineer (vehicular) that can reconstruct the scene based on variables (speed/vehicle maintenance issues etc.). These are which determine whether or not a driver is held accountable for the offence. RVIPF has a very long way to go when it comes to properly indentifying the causes and charges for said incidents. Also, there is no toxicologist on staff at Feebles (sic) Hospital when the need to determine if narcotics or alcohol was a likely or not factor. This means that blood taken (which loses integrity after 24 hrs when testing for alcohol) and awaiting the sufficient testing has to be sent overseas (already being compromised when sitting in a fridge)or awaiting the person to come here to execute the test. Sad truth that no one is seemingly willing to address in light of all the incidents happening of late and those yet to come.
I agree with Confucius. If this was not an accident but an incident of an irate driver offensively charging out of the parking lot and ignoring the oncoming scooter (as many have suggested in prior blogs) then I pray that somehow justice is served. If there is no evidence I pray that he recognizes his actions took a life and that he cease to drive irresponsibly and not care for all forms of automobiles or persons on the roadways. If however, this was just and accident, then all is good. I don’t know how anyone could sleep soundly having taken a life through an accident or not though.
“If” the gentleman who was driving the truck is indeed culpable for the death of this young man, I certainly hope that the investigators will do their utmost to prove it and ultimately hold him responsible.
However, if he does indeed get off due to lack of evidence, he will be held accountable by a higher authority when his time comes.
If it were me and I knew I was responsible for something like this, I couldn’t live with myself until I came clean and admitted my responsibility.
If he was in fact not responsible, then he has nothing to worry about and can sleep soundly knowing he did not take a life through carless inconsideration of others.
The man pulled out of a junction and the scooter came out of traffic and hit him. It was an accident so cut the holier than thou bullshit!! This could’ve happened to anybody. Have you ever driven out of OneMart’s lower lot onto the East Bound highway? If the scooter switched lanes at the last minute like some witnesses said, then it makes sense how they collided. Even if its not the man’s fault he has kids of his own, you don’t think he feels bad about it? Even the man that got into the accident with Ocho, even though he’s not wrong, don’t you think he feels bad that a youngster was killed and he too has kids of his own? Confucius sometimes I wonder if you smoke your meals bro!
I agree with you. It was nothing but a tragic accident.
That is not how it happened.. The driver, in my opinion, is the wrong one.. he pulled out infront of the young man knowing how close he was and while the young man tried to dodge the truck he still ended up hitting into him.. If you wasn’t there and don’t know what took place stop going off of hear say story.
were you there?
I hope you will be one of the witnesses at the Inquest. You might be the one who can let the coroner send this case for trial.
not fair
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