‘I passed through the windscreen’: Teacher recounts deadly accident

Twenty-year-old teacher Jaden Harte of #43 Village is struggling to cope physically and emotionally after surviving a minibus crash at #63 Village, Corentyne, that killed two people, including 16-year-old Jodea Seline.

The minibus, carrying students and teachers from several schools, toppled multiple times along the Corentyne highway after the driver attempted to avoid horses that ran into the road. Harte, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was thrown through the windscreen.

Harte recalled marking the register before joining the bus to ensure all the girls were accounted for.

“It’s very traumatising because every time I close my eyes I’m back there,” she told Ignite News, pointing out that she was told that the driver was gearing up to overtake two vehicles when three horses ran onto the road.

With the animals suddenly in their path, the driver pulled the handbrake and attempted to swerve.

“He couldn’t take control of the bus… and we began to flip and flip. I can recall like seven times. I passed through the front windshield,” the young teacher said.

Harte lost consciousness on the roadside. When she regained consciousness, she said the scene was chaotic.

The first person she sought was Jodea Seline, one of the victims who died in the crash. She then turned her attention to the driver, Sir Jerome Bernard, who also died in the crash.

“I saw Jodea. When I got to her, I fell on my head. I felt no pulse…. (The driver) he was still somewhat pinned down. I kept screaming for help, but nobody was helping… they were just videoing. Two individuals eventually got him out and place him beside the road… I knew in my heart he wouldn’t have made it.”

Harte said the accident has heightened her fear of animals on the roadway, a long-standing issue on the Corentyne stretch. She emphasised that precautions have to be put in place to keep the animals away from the roads.

Sitting beside the driver who didn’t survive has left Harte grappling with difficult emotions.

“I feel like I’m here for a purpose who gets to walk out of an accident of that manner sitting in front. It made me question alot of things in my life and made me feel like I need to change and get closer to God, not just God but like my family.. and it made me feel like I don’t want to leave my house as well.”

She said her healing journey will be long, but she hopes that sharing her story will bring awareness and prevent future tragedies.