Pedestrian was hit by two vehicles in fatal collision
(CNS): Henry Schucair Robinson (61), from Bodden Town, was killed around 7pm on 24 November 2019 after he was hit by two vehicles on Anton Bodden Drive. One of the drivers left the scene before police officers took his details and was never tracked down. Following an inquest into the tragic collision, the case was heard in the Coroners Court on Thursday, and a jury unanimously found that Robinson died as a result of misadventure.
Robinson was in the middle of Anton Bodden Drive along a very dark stretch of the road that evening when he was hit by a blue Toyota Vitz. Two expert accident reconstruction reports determined that he was then immediately hit by a second vehicle. As a result, Robinson sustained multiple blunt-force injuries to his head and body, which caused his death.
The jury heard that the first driver who hit Robinson had no idea at first that he had struck a pedestrian. He believed he had been hit by a car coming in the opposite direction, which was probably the second car that hit the victim. The driver of the Toyota remained at the scene, but the driver of the second vehicle, believed to have been a white truck, stopped for a short while but left after the police turned up.
The first driver was not speeding and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The crash scene fit with his account and led officers to believe he was not at fault. He had dipped his own lights at the time, probably as a result of oncoming traffic, making it even more difficult for him to see Robinson near the centre of the very dark stretch of the road, the crash experts foundd. Both said that, given all of the circumstances, he would simply not have seen, nor could he have been expected to see, Robinson.
Robinson was wearing a red shirt, which the accident experts told the jury would have been hard to see in poor light. He was carrying beers when he was hit on his way home after drinking with friends. The toxicology report also revealed that he was at least three times over the alcohol limit for driving at the time, which may have slowed his reactions to the traffic on the road.
PC Carlene Samuels, the traffic officer who carried out the investigation, told the jury that she had tried to track down the second driver, who had left by the time she had arrived at the scene, but she had only limited information. She told the coroner that the officers who were first on the scene from the nearby Bodden Town Police Station had not taken his details before he left the location.
With no CCTV footage and few details other than one witness, who told them the driver was driving a white truck, the RCIPS were unable to find him. They interviewed several possible suspects but were never able to find the mystery vehicle. The accident reports show that, having been hit by the Toyota, Robinson was knocked into the path of the second vehicle, making it unlikely that he would have been found culpable even if they had tracked him down.
Both accident reconstruction experts said that it was the darkness of the road and Robinson’s intoxication that likely contributed to his death.
Coroner Angelyn Hernandez, who presided over the inquest, said she would pass on a report to the authorities about the darkness of the road and its part in causing this death.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Local News
Notwithstanding the details of the report, our roads are extremely poorly lit. From my own personal observation, pedestrians road death seems to have increased since low illumination lighting (yellowish) started. We do not have enough well lit poles/closely lit poles to give both drivers and pedestrians lesser opportunities for accidents such as the one in this article.
I am not saying lack of lighting is the cause. Instead, it appears to be a significant contributing factor.
If Cayman must have so much ritual drinking, better those drunk be pedestrians than the unidentified drivers getting away with vehicular manslaughter on this 35mph carriageway. Two (2) cars ran over him at 7pm on a Sunday night! That neither driver saw this man or obstruction on the roadway, tells you something about the safety of our roads.
And no mention of any consequences for the police shoddy work? They don’t even know what make or model or license number? Something not adding up? Maybe he was a friend of a friend? Someone at the very least got away with leaving the scene of a tragic accident. Likely had something to hide! Otherwise why leave? And along come our illustrious po po and they don’t even gather basic details.
Thank you. Beyond disturbing mentality to blame the victim when it was drivers who broke the law. Poor Schucair. RIP buddy.
Much like Mitchie Ryan on the Brac; his inebriation contributed to his demise, however neither of the presumed two cars that hit him were ever identified. They weren’t bad people for hitting him, if he was in the road, but they were bad people for not stopping.
Jury decides that motorists are allowed to run over people when it’s dark.
Drunk or not, dark or not, should any pedestrian or animal in the roadway be found to have had it coming on roads with our low speed limits? Drivers must use headlights at sunset and do have to competently scan the roadway ahead at all times, leaving space, and being prepared to stop if necessary. It seems like some rotten person is getting away with vehicular manslaughter…and this tragic case is now closed.
THE VICTIM:
I’ve known this gentleman for many years and was heartbroken to hear of his death. I also know this stretch of road and the surrounding area extremely well – walk and drive it all the time, day and night.
He’s one of the old folk. Sat catching a breeze and a drink under the same cabana, with the same friends on the same beach for years. He was sweet, polite and helpful (often helped me carry heavy shopping). Clearly lonely,he often spoke fondly of distant family members with a tear in his eye, also his days and travels in the police service many moons ago. Yes he sometimes drank too much which clearly he did this day. But he had reason to celebrate, he’d just got a new apartment and it was the road next to his apartment where he got hit walking home (BT Bypass).
It is dark on a night yes, but not too dark to see on foot and definitely not when driving if you keep a proper lookout. There is no footpath. He was wearing a red shirt, and carrying a plastic bag. I’ve passed many wearing black, walking or riding unlit bikes on this stretch of road late at night. You can see them.
This outcome is deeply sickening almost perverse, extremely unjust. It reads as if this lovely old gentleman is the one to blame, and everyone forgot he was the victim. The judgmental opinions and thumbs down just show how quick people are to judge when they don’t know a thing. Shame on you all. This is not justice.
Whichever direction the truck went it either came in from, or went out at Bodden Town Road right next to BT Police station. BT Police Station has a room FULL of CCTVs on the left as you walk in (door was wide open when I went to give a statement once).
RIP Schucair. I truly miss seeing you around. 😢
Not necessarily by the station. Backroads can exit by Cox lumber.
True but cameras on BT Rd connected to that room in the station could have still picked that up when they came out at Cox Lumber.
tragic…not helped by the usual incompetence from the police-farce.
Wow, our traffic police are awesome! “so looks like these guys killed this guy” “oh yeah, one ah dem gone so” “oh well”.
uh-oh spaghettios!
Wild? There is a police vehicle there, they don’t ask the driver for his details and they don’t even take his plate number, and by the time the designated investigating officer arrives the driver has conveniently left. Bit like not breathalyzing someone who drives into a power pole late at night, isnt it. If you were a cynical man, you might think it was deliberate, based on the identity or nationality of the driver in each case rather than just extremely shoddy police work.
Inept cops here per usual.
This is bullshit I grew up with Robinson and yes he drink a lot this man would never walk in the middle of any rd much less a dark rd. bare foolishness this is but God not sleeping.
He was drunk, 5:51, something he was very often as you must very well know.
Oh, so that makes it OK that he was run down and killed walking home? FFS.
No 11:19. Not at all. But it makes clear that the comment by 5:51 “this man would never walk in the middle of any road” has little value, given the fact that when drunk, people will do all sorts of ridiculous things, including walking in the middle of a road. So keep your rude FFS to yourself.
Being drunk is fine. A driver that wasn’t looking ahead (possibly drunk themselves) was the cause of death, and they get away with it now by faulting a pedestrian.
Does God sleep? Why?
How the hell the officers didn’t even note the license plate over the radio to 911 is crazy!
Luckily it seems to be an error with little repercussions, but if this was not the fault of the pedestrian, it would be wild!
The driver could’ve been a friend of a friend. Excellent job RCIP!
Those stripes are dangerous.
The driver could’ve been a friend of a friend. Excellent policing.
Even if he was in the road (no footpaths) the speed limit there is 30 and he was KILLED. Are we not trained as drivers here to look out for pedestrians? You are telling me you wouldn’t have seen a tall man in a red shirt carrying a plastic bag (probably white) in the road if you were driving responsibly?
It IS wild.