Police are investigating what they describe as a ‘sudden death’ in Bataca on Thursday evening.
The man has been identified as 74-year-old Reginald Antoine, also known as Gee-Gee, of Atkinson.
According to police PRO, Inspector John Carbon, on July 10, 2014 about 8:15 Antoine was attending a birthday party at a friend’s house at Bataca when he began having difficulty breathing.
First Aid was administered by a fire officer who was on the scene but he became unresponsive.
A medical officer was called to the scene and upon examination pronounced him dead.
A coroner’s inquest has convened and a post mortem will follow.
Investigations are continuing, according to Carbon.
An eyewitness told DNO, Antoine was eating some food when he started choking and gasping for breath.
They theorize that Antoine might have choked after food got stuck in his windpipe, but this has not been confirmed.
My opinion, reading him a book I am sure wouldn’t help him, but lay him on his back and do some upward thrust may have dislodged what he was choking on, education is necessary and not only for emergency workers cause believe me these emergency workers can always use some help from someone who know what they are doing
Everyone keep talking about C P R and Heilmeck Maneuver but if it’s not done right it can cause more harm than good, first someone said knock his back that will
just lodge the object further down the airway, some training will help in case something like this happens again, but I pray it doesn’t ..
Possibilities are heart attack, respiratory arrest due to ?, blockage of airway, aneurism, pulmonary edema.
CPR has only a 7% success rate.
Sorry to know about this. It is so sad.
My heartfelt sympathy to his family.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light he upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen!
lack of education and ignorance did kill the man. do you know that the fire officer had to leave all the way from Melville Hall fire Station to come to Atkinson to adminster the help. the question is did anyone try helping him in the mean time he was choking or gasping for air. I was not there but i believe if he was helped bfore there would be a better chance of survival for him. May his soul rest in peace and condolences to the family, God Bless.
There is something called the Heimlich maneuver, perhaps that is unknown in Dominica, if that was implemented as long as some foreign object such as food was lodged in his throat, that maneuver would have dislodged the food from his throat.
The Heimlich maneuver is a technique used for the removing foreign matter from the airway of a choking victim; the technique maybe carried out with the victim in a standing position, or lying down. In the standing position; the rescuer stands behind the victim, and wraps his/her arms around the victims’s waist, allowing the victim’s head, arms, and upper torso to hang forward.
A fist is made with one hand, and held with the other; the fist is then placed against the victim’s abdomen at a point slightly above the umbilicus and below the rib cage. The rescuer’s fist is then pressed into the victim’s abdomen with a forceful upward thrust.
The maneuver may be repeated if necessary to clear the air passages.
Supine Position: In the supine position the victim is placed on the back with the head turned to one side. The rescuer kneels astride the victim’s hips, and places both hands on the abdomen, one hand upon the other. The heel of the lower hand is placed slightly above the umbilicus and below the rib cage.
Pressure is applied to the victim’s abdomen with a forceful upward thrust, again the maneuver may be repeated if necessary in order to clear the air passages.
This is elementary, one does have to be involved in the medical profession to learn the technique, even an illiterate person can be taught the maneuver, by so doing when an emergency like that arise again, someone will be in a position to save a life. There is also a way a chocking person come that too.
By simply lifting both hands over one head, and cough may help, leaning forward over the back rest of a chair and applying some pressure may result the same relief, I will not detail this sort of technique, nevertheless, it has worked!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
I understand it was a heart attack not chooking
DNO when you update a story you need to refresh the comments because some of the comments here pertains to the first report that you posted.now you went and put an update and the comments that were there initially are left making no sense at all.
What do you mean? I see no change to the news article, which I read last night, when there was no comment at all. What are you talking about “update and comments that make no sense” I don’t see this here,
That’s because you only read it last night.this news article was posted since yesterday morning.i know what I’m talking about.
How could you use Jesus in your name then cannot tell the truth? Were you asleep when you read the first story? Even then you would have dreamt the difference in the two stories. Drastic contrast. Even the title is different. DNO should’ve just removed the story including the comments. This is a whole different order of things.
The HEIMLECK MANEUVER WOULD HAVE HELP. TO THE FAMILY, MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES
R.I.P gigi we’ll miss u
Definition of Freak Accident: An accident that’s extremely unlikely and unusual. For example: “Fabio was involved in a freak accident. He got hit in the face by a duck while riding a roller coaster.”
If in fact the circumstances surrounding this man’s death are accurate as reported, this poor man died as a result of ignorance and lack of education.
how is this lack of education? “First Aid was administered by a fire officer who was on the scene but he became unresponsive” what do you think should have been done? read the man a book?smfh!!!
You cannot really blame the person. When the article was first posted, it did not give any indication of first aid being administered. it left readers to conclude that no one knew how to assist the man. DNO should have updated the story in such a way to allow new readers to know the initial report.
“My Opinion”, As I said “If in fact the circumstances surrounding this man’s death are accurate as reported…..” Maybe you should read a book!
RIP
This is not a freak accident. The man choked . So you mean to tell me not even a slap on the back someone gave him? Lord . Condolence to his family
Pple tried too help by givin Cpr slaping on the back etc
I believe basic first aid and CPR training should be taught starting in primary school.
I notice the tendency to find someone to blame as usual is showing up here without anyone knowing the circumstances in which he died. People, a house divided within itself cannot stand. Give others the benefit of the doubt. We are all Dominicans – as smart as you and as foolish as you. Geez!
I solicit the assistance of the D/ca fire and ambulance services and media such as SAT , Marpin and GIS , in the facilitating some first aid and first responders training for citizens and have it previewed weekly . Had the people been trained though traumatized , I believe this individual would have been alive today and I must say it is such a simple process .
RIP Antoine
Yikes, what a horrible death. You mean some one did not try to save the man’s life by administering the Heimlich Maneuver?
RIP
They were not certain what happened to him. For one, he could not talk. Do not blame them.
Sad New. My condolences to the family.
I think that people should help themselves by taking some training in basic CPR so that in the unlikely event of something like this happening in your presence, that you are able to help the individual or even a family member or a friend. If his cause of death was by choking, it would be a shame to see that no one was able to help clear his airway.
Teach the Heimlich maneuver to the people.
Sorry that is a like
RIP Antoine
Ah I am so sorry to hear that. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
You mean to tell me IF that is what really happened, NO ONE there could help the man? Back in the days they used to give you one THUMP in your back and the food would fly out!
Condolences to his relatives
Condolencies to his left behind.
Bazile knocks at our door anytime. Let’s be ready for it.
best thing I have seen here .
CPR should be world wide, and the a lot of lives would be saved. It is very easy to choke to death once the food get stuck in the wrong place. It is scary and more scary when someone is dying due to lack of oxygen and u cannot help.
What is more, you never know when it could happen; could happen to anyone.
İt is very important that as many people in the communities grt certified in first aid and CPR or Emergency First Response very important and vital skills which could help save a life rather than just beeing a hepless bystander on the scene you can helpmake a difference in the outcome you can help save a life could be your own family or friends it could even be you being saved by someone who is certifiied in First Aid and CPR…
Sorry to hear this. This is the reason Dominicans need to learn the basic ABC in first aid, it would educate them in what to do in such circumstances, .i.e if someone is choking, having a heart attack or burn with hot water.
Poor man. What an awful thing to happen to anyone. My deepest condolences to his loved ones. RIP my brother.
May his soul rest in peace.
Is there first aid training available in Dominica? Are these training programs for free? No one on the scene knew the “five -and-five/ Heimlich maneuver”? As a First Aider, am thinking that this freak accident could have been avoided if there was just one individual who was knowledgeable. Reading this article has me visualizing people just standing around in panic and conversation about what they think is happening to this guy or what they should do. I am indeed very saddened by this.
Do you know what killed the 74 year old man?
Poor guy, nobody around knew how to do the H.maneuver smh
So you mean no body could perform CPR on the gentleman. Or at least cuff him behind his neck
Sad but even worst if the guy died from choke in the presence of others. The hemlock maneuver is quite easy and effective. If you don’t know learn it to help someone in need of your help.
Hemlock Maneuver ! That was Macbeth’s demise! And even Socrates too.
Oh what a famous pun we drop, when first we use the malaprop!
Nonetheless, my heartfelt condolences go out to Gee Gee’s family.
that’s what the third one for the year,bataca is on a roll man?