St. Maarten Private Eye

Local Reporter May Soon to Appear in Court for Parades Accident

Philipsburg: - A local journalist G.L may appear in the Court of First Instance as early as September for the accident that killed Martin Parades.

The traffic department is busy finalizing the reports, which is expected to reach the desk of Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein early next week who will then decide what exact actions he would take in the case.

Parades died at the St. Maarten Medical Center hours after he was transported to medical facility for treatment.
The accident occurred on March 5 on Union Road Cole Bay, the victim a national of the Dominican Republic and employee of Bunchie’s garage was in the process of picking up garbage around 4 am that morning. A local reporter from one of the Today Newspaper who probably fell asleep on the wheel slammed into the back of the garbage truck pinning the lower portion of Parades body to the vehicle. Earlier reports stated that the victim suffered from two broken legs and a gaping wound that was bleeding profusely.

SMN News was reliably informed that the Ambulance department opted to make a run to Oyster Pond to transfer another patient who fell ill that night leaving the garbage the collector to bleed for almost 45 minutes on the scene of the accident. SMN News also learnt that when the victim was finally taken to the St. Maarten Medical Center a dispute began as the medical institution wanted to know who would take on the financial responsibility before administering first aid treatment to the dying man who had no immediate relatives on the island.

SMN News also understands that the medical institution only administered treatment when the owner and managing director of Bunchie’s Garage showed up with his medical card.

The unfortunate circumstances surrounding Parades death prompted Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein to ask the coroner for a detail pathologist report as well as a full report from the medical institution. Those reports Stein said was submitted to the police station and they are now busy finalizing their reports which would give him a better idea as to what really happened both on the scene of the accident and the hospital.
With these reports, the Chief Prosecutor of the Windward Islands would be able to take a decision on how to proceed with the case. Most likely, the reporter an elderly man who was overworked covering the Heineken Regatta and price giving ceremony would most likely have to appear before a judge.