When Larry St. Jean’s bus slid off the road and went rolling down a shallow precipice on the Trafalgar road, one thought kept tumbling through his mind – “if that doh stop rolling, well, I’m a dead man.”
Thankfully, St. Jean, who was not carrying any passengers at the time, did not die, but his bus was a total wreck by the time it came to a stop at the bottom of the slope.
Now, the Trafalgar bus driver is claiming that the accident was caused because of a problem in the road and is putting the blame squarely on the contractor responsible for works being done on the Roseau Valley road.
In an interview with DNO, St. Jean said he was traveling in the area called the ‘blind corner’ where there’s a huge bolder at the corner of the road, when he spotted another vehicle approaching.
“As soon as I bend the corner, I met a guy partly on the left hand side,” he recalled. Although, according to him, the oncoming driver was on the wrong side of the road, St. Jean said he thought he had enough time to stop in an effort to prevent an accident.
“So I tapped the brakes not really to stop, but to slow down the vehicle so the other driver could pass. I got carried away,” he stated.
St. Jean recounted being unaware of what actually happened before his bus went skidding out of control. “It was so strange, and the next thing I know, I was rolling down a precipice, and all I was saying ‘if that doh stop rolling well I am a dead man’,” he related.
He said he remembered kicking the door open when the vehicle finally stopped and climbing back onto the road. It was then, he said, that he saw what caused the accident.
“When I reach in the road I see the black thing, and I said ‘oh my God! That that do that to me nah? Without no sand, without no sign saying wet colass (asphalt) nothing?’” he said in disbelief.
According to him, reports were that the asphalt was applied late on Wednesday and the accident took place late Thursday about 5 pm. He is blaming the lack of warning and proper signage about the condition of that section of the road, for the accident.
He did not appear to be physically injured and was concerned about an already ‘bad knee getting worse with the accident’ but his fear was allayed when St. Jean was checked by a physician who told him that all appeared to be well. But his passenger bus, which was his only means of earning a living, was destroyed.
He said that he does not want to ‘have politics mixed up in the matter’, but is seeking compensation from the contractor since his primary concern is getting back his ‘livelihood’, the passenger bus which was destroyed in the accident.
He told DNO that a meeting with company officials failed to resolve the matter and he is now seeking a further audience with the ‘boss’ who is currently out of state.
Because the vehicle is over 5 years old and had not been reassessed lately, he will be receiving a lot less from his insurance company than what would be required to cover the cost of another vehicle, St. Jean pointed out.
He said he will seek legal counsel on the matter if his request for compensation from the contractor is not entertained.
When questioned about the other driver, St. Jean said the driver called out to him after the accident and when he found out that he, St. Jean, was alive, he left.
to much speed and ball head tires
so tell me what that have to do with the contractor. man you should say praise god you thou die and move on with your life eh.
The other bus driver “he alive nah” ‘jack A’!!
We Dominicans love speeding around the bend, scary isn’t it. We even hate wearing seat belt. Slow down my people .
Careless. A road you driving every day as a bus driver? You should be aware that there’s on going works on the road and drive carefully. I feel sorry for your situation but that’s how i see it…….
Look how Smooth those tires are on the Bus ?
His insurance should com in to play now to repair or replace the Bus ; No one else ! thank God you are alive and unharmed.
‘oh my God! That that do that to me nah”
look what happening to us in da, if the driver of the damage bus want to seek compensation let the man do what he feel is right stop fighting him down
Contractor doesnt have a thing to do with you and your accident on the road. If your Bus was Insured,settle your claim with your Insurance Company; that’s what you are paying your premium for. If your Bus was not insured, then unfortunately, you will have to settle that yourself. Leave the Contractor out of this.
if he can prove that the contractor did negligent work then he has a case against the contractor, but he first have to prove his case that the contractor willfully did bad work
Mr St Jean.
Hello and good afternoon my people. Well Mr St Jean according to you , you was coming around a corner and another bus was on your side of the road. So why didn’t you hit that bus in a head on accident . I assume that you didn’t come to a full stop because you was speeding so when you avoided the bus you went off the road and down the precipice. Ok Mr St Jean you really got carried away so please tell me which Jury in a Civil trial will rule in your favor. If I am the Lawyer all I have to do is bring this article to Court and cross examine you. Look you have liability insurance which only cover a small portion of the true value of your vehicle. Based on what you(Mr St Jean) said I think you are to blame for your single vehicle accident .
Fool! Are you a driver? Which driver goes in a head on collision if he thinks he can avoid it? It doesn’t matter how fast you are driving, as a driver you’ll do all you can to avoid an accident.
Papa Dom.
Hello and good afternoon to you. First I must say that we can discuss issues without using derogatory language. I asked why didn’t he hit the other bus head on but I then suggested that he was speeding and he avoided the bus but then he went into the precipece. It’s just the most logical way of looking at the accident based on information provided by Mr St jean.
Tony you are a classic IDIOT!
Hello and good afternoon. I would like to address you using your name but you didn’t give your name. Now we can discuss issues without using derogatory language aspecially name calling. Please explain your displeasure with my post so I can respond because calling me name isn’t telling me what you criticizing about my post. Thanks.
Would the signs or warnings prevent the accident described above? Please don’t waste your money by going to court. This was an accident treat it as one.
My cousin suffered a broken leg because of a pot hole on the pedestrian side walk. No sign was displayed warning of broken pavement . She sued the council who is resposible for maintaining the roads and pavement and was compensated large sum with all medical expenses paid and admitted it was due to their Negligence a sign was not place warning of broken pavement.
It time that the authority in Dominica held accoutable for lapes
My brother thank God that you’re still alive and well today. Compensation should be the last thing on yr mind.
Larry your only livlihood?!! Ahhh!!! Don’t lie sooo! The “other driver” should talk!
it is time that contactors and the authority responsible for maintaing the public roads be held accountable for people getting killed or injured due to poor road maintenance or propper display of traffic signs.
The public and road users should start taking legal action against them. This will let the authority havea duty of care to its people.
Seek compensation from who? From the man that did not maintain the brakes of his bus, from the same man that had bold tyres on his bus…? Don’t make me laugh, man. The only good thing you did not carry passengers. Imagine what would have happened.
fishy
law suit, is time somebody take responsibility for these nonsense that going on in this country
I drive a vehicle on the road everyday, and we all need to look out for each other on the road, but this driver who just asked if he alive and left, that don’t make sense.
and if it dont make sence it is not true
This is a matter of insurance, not road company. You pay penny wise pound foolish, for you to pay low premium you did not revalue the bus now you have to pay the price.
Wait, the other driver on the wrong side, he tapped the brakes not really to stop….. and you want a new bus now??? Ah magway sah…Why? Wasn’t your bus insured?
Anonymous don’t be to fast to open your mouth and if you are intelligent and took your time to read the story you would have seen where it said that the bus was insured etc etc and insurrance is paying a mear value of what the bus is worth. We all know that insurance here are a reap off and they do not advise people accordingly until an accident and it is too late they say to you that you should have evaluated the vehicle to get a true value so therefore if a vehicle is worth 40, 000 dollars and its less than five years and you are paying over 2000 they will pay less than 13,000. Najico is a reap off bus drivers should stay away from these people.
Wow! you know your stuff boy! we’d love to have your working with us as the new’Claims Adjuster”. Send us your resume. Never know, you could just be that lucky employee for 2014. Best of luck!
Please learn to spell…”insurance is a “MEAR” value?….and NAGICO is a “reap” off….hmmmmm
Insuranc reap him off or he reap off himself? The bus drivers under value their bus to pay low premium. It doesnt matter what you tell them they say they not paying money for nothing. When the accident happen now is like first time i hear dat we, i never know that they doh tell me that lol
hmmmmmmmmmmm.the other bus driver should give his account of what happen.
Really! Sell your your story to Oprah.
Well that other driver not easy. After you found out he was alive, you left?? Weh!
we should take that to judge judy.she would say if the story doesnt make sence it is not true
I know right? But I just think the man want a new bus. As he said he has owned it for a long while so the man has to upgrade!