Father of boy, 7, killed in accident angry with van driver:‘It have no forgiveness right now’

“Nah it have no forgiveness!”

This is how Clint Rogers, the father of seven-year-old Jaheim Samaroo, feels about the man whose actions resulted in his son’s death.

On Tuesday morning, Jaheim was on his way to school when he was knocked down while crossing the road. The seven-year-old died a few hours later while being treated at the Sangre Grande Hospital.

Speaking with Guardian Media at his Antigua Road, Wallerfield home yesterday, Rogers said the death of his last-born child has left him devastated. He said the thought of forgiveness is far from his mind at this time, especially since the driver of the van had yet to even acknowledge what happened.

“He never tell me he sorry, with a sincere apology. That forgiveness will take a while, it have no forgiveness right now. Me and God have a relationship, and I know in time to come, he will be forgiven, but not now,” the grieving father said.

Rogers said his son was looking forward to getting a computer tablet for his eighth birthday, which he would have celebrated on October 28.

According to the police and as seen in CCTV footage obtained by Guardian Media, just after 7.30 am, Jaheim was crossing near the Valencia Bypass Road with his older brother Omally, when he was knocked down by a van. The child was dragged some 50 feet away. So severe was the impact that Jaheim’s backpack remained lodged in the front fender of the pickup.

Police said Jaheim and his two siblings Omally, 9, and Sade, 12, were attempting to cross the road, which they did every day, to enter a bus to take them to school. They were at the pedestrian crossing. While other vehicles stopped for the children to cross, a motorist driving a van allegedly broke the line of traffic, just as Jaheim and his siblings were crossing. Omally, who was a few feet in front of his brother, escaped without injury while their sister Sade looked on in horror as the vehicle collided with her youngest brother.

The 12-year-old yesterday said she is haunted by her brother’s death.

“We screamed and screamed. I ran towards Jaheim, who was still alive. I held his hands and begged him to stay alive. He looked at me, then closed his eyes and lost consciousness. I will truly miss my baby brother,” she said while sobbing uncontrollably.

Family friend Anton Osouna said he had the displeasure of calling Rogers and telling him what had happened.

“I had to go back home because I forgot my wallet and, on my way, back I noticed it had traffic, but I thought it was a roadblock. When I get closer, I saw a set of people gather at one spot and so I know was an accident. Imagine having to call my bredrin and tell him his son now get knock down. You know how that feel?” he lamented.

Rogers said Jaheim, a Standard One pupil of the Valencia Government Primary School, loved electronic devices but also enjoyed playing outside with his siblings. He recalled that when he was building the family house, Jaheim spent many days helping with the construction and was dubbed a “little workman.”

Rogers said Jaheim did not want to go to school on Tuesday but did anyway. He now regrets he changed his son’s mind.

“On Monday night I heard him speaking with his mum, telling her that he didn’t feel like going to school the next day. But he woke up early on Tuesday morning, brushed his teeth, bathed, and got ready for school without any trouble,” he said sadly.

Rogers said he believes speed was a factor in his son’s death, since there is a speed bump along Antigua Road, close to where his son was crossing. He said if the road rules were obeyed, his son would have been alive today.

“I just want to tell people that it have a difference between driving hard and driving mad. Driving hard and driving mad is two different things,” he said.

The driver was questioned by police and later released.

Meanwhile, in response to Jaheim’s death, Arrive Alive president Sharon Inglefield has renewed the call for a comprehensive transportation system that will incorporate speed limits of 20-30 km/h around residential areas, schools, colleges and universities. She added that this will include well-designed and maintained sidewalks and improved pedestrian crossings with raised calming humps.

“Such changes would allow our children to walk and cycle to school safely, significantly reducing serious injuries,” she said. —With reporting by Jensen La Vende & Ralph Banwarie

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