Hit and run victim dies
(CNS): An incident that went unreported by the police at the time, in June this year, has now resulted in the death of a 59-year-old hit and run victim, The RCIPS eventually made the incident known to the public on 12 August, more than six weeks after the incident, when officers from the Traffic Department said that Mike Allen Jervis was hit on 27 June in the early hours and received serious head injuries. On Friday 22 October, the RCIPS said that the victim, who has been in hospital since being found at the side of the road, died yesterday. They said that around 3.20am on Sunday 27 June, a man was found badly injured in Eastern Avenue, George Town, close to the Cayman Shoe Shop.
The man was lying on the sidewalk beside his bicycle. The man was conveyed to the George Town Hospital suffering from serious head injuries. He has been detained in hospital since that date and it has now been confirmed that he passed away yesterday, Thursday 21 October.
In August police said they had information from one witness, who said he saw two cars travelling on Eastern Avenue and heard a collision but was not sure which car hit the man on the bike. Police recovered a left side wing mirror at the scene, which they say belonged to a green Honda Sabre.
Police told News 27 in August that if anyone has seen a car like this with a missing mirror or knows anything about what happened that night to come forward and call PC Harris 946 6254. The victim was seriously injured in this hit and run and police say he is unable to speak to them.
Following the man’s death yesterday, police said that to date no vehicle has been traced, and no witnesses have come forward to assist in the enquiry. Officers from the RCIPS Traffic Department are renewing their appeal for witnesses and anyone who has any information regarding the incident is asked to contact them on 946-6254.
Category: Headline News
The family could at least pursue the RCIP in a law suit. that’l teach Baines a lesson.
I am a family member and don’t respect the police because of how they threated my uncle situation
Family member, Go get a lawyer.
Finding a green Honda Saber missing a wing mirror in a tiny community is not a difficult task. Particularly since wing mirrors are probably not the same for the different editions of this type of vehicle (ie. it is probably from a specific year).
The RCIPS could have appealed to the public or checked the vehicle register and this crime would most likely have been solved. Inexplicably, the details that would help solve this crime go unreported and clearly the police have not followed up with vehicle licensing. That looks bad.
Even worse, there are unsubstantiated rumours (from people too cowardly to be specific or do anything about it) that it was a family member of a Cayman VIP driving the car.
In the absence of a credible explanation from RCIPSthe conclusion that people are going to draw is that there has been a cover-up by corrupt police.
RCIPS have to be aware of that. If they don’t want that conclusion to be drawn then the onus is on them to explain this incident.
If they can’t or won’t give us any explanation or reassurance then in my view that makes it official- the police service here is corrupted and broken.
I too would like to see the RCIP explain why they took so long to make this public but maybe it isn’t a cover up. Maybe it is just as you say the people are too cowardly to come forward and help the police.
Not surprising that no witnesses came forward since the police didn’t tell anyone what happened!
I bet the driver of the damaged green honda saber could not believe his (or her) luck.
What ever happened to the hit and run by the turtle farm where similar rumours were heard? That one seemed to go away quietly.. Everyone keeps complaining but I don’t see any action as yet, I have a feeling someone is eventually going to get tired of all this and its going to be ugly.
Our "Royal" Police….and "Christian" Govt. at work again ah!
Yet so many of my fellow caymanians wonder why things are deteriorating here.
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family of Mr. Jervis. I pray that his killer will be found and justice will be brought down.
The driver’s cold-blooded disregard for this poor victim, is only magnified by the callous neglect of the RCIPS.
Out of 22 of the comments so far, 6 imply or suggest that there is a cover up because of the high-status of the driver, and or "connections". Of all the news stories, this one and the public statements of The Premier regarding a case before the courts, presents an indelible image of corruption to the outside world. Although visitors may not care about the country’s economic woes or political infighting, they certainly pay attention to the assault of a visitor by an MLA or a homicide-by-auto cover-up. The notion of high-level corruption is now out there, and beyond containment by any PR spin-doctors.
Wonders never cease !!- The man was injured in June and reported to the Public in August and passed away on the 21stOctober 2010. One has to ask how important was this man???, of course he was not a Doctor, politician or Lawyer but a Caymanian. Let’s face it, he was a human that had a life irrespective of how he wished to live it. This whole picture is unreasonable and irresponsible not to investigate and take action at the time of the accident. Why wait almost four months to investigate after the man has expired? It is respectful that the RCIP find some closure for the family and with extensive explaining to the Commissioner of Police in this delay.
I came under attack when I first wrote to the media regarding the performances of the police/violation of human rights. However, I am quite pleased to see that there are many people on the island who are opening their eyes to what is really going on.
It is an outright shame that this man was made to lay in his hospital bed before the public who could have and might have assisted were made aware.
After reading this article last night, I took the time to discuss this with friends to hear what insight that they might have had regarding this very serious matter.
It turns out that apparently there were witnesses to the accident. And unfortunately, due to the persons and the category that the vehicle was registered in that was involved in this accident I am afraid this will remain "a plea to the public" as far as reporting to the public is concerned.
But like another person stated on this forum, there are those that will be protected, and no, you’re not the only one to hear the rumour.
What is more alarming is that the "culprit" will get away with this. And the government will not address this matter into an open investigation because of the possible repercussions that will arise for the "hit and run suspect".
It is time that the government be held accountable to its people. A hit and run accident is one thing. Failing to advise the public is another. And this is not the first time that this has happened to a person of this status. In 2008 a man was knocked down in front of West Bay Police Station and succumbed to his injuries a few weeks later. The plea for assistance was run in the newspaper in a column that was about 3 inches long. This was on the same page that offered the cash reward of several thousanddollars for the murder of 5 iguanas at the Park. These two men were in the same social status.
Aren’t they also human beings deserving to live their lives to the fullest, and in the event of a hit and run accident costing their lives, don’t they deserve for those responsible to be brought to justice?
Murder is murder. Regardless of by method. Had this been a gun-related crime the police would have been scurrying about like blind mice messing up the crime scene. In these cases they haven’t even been present. But once.
"It turns out that apparently there were witnesses to the accident."
So… did these witnesses speak to the police at the time of the accident? Or did they walk away?
Would they care to speak to the press to make what information they know public?
Maybe they did speak to the police and were told to ‘SHUT UP OR ELSE" because the person responsible for this accident is definitely a person of Political power or an elite.
ONE OR THE OTHER
Many of us have an idea who it may be.
To say nothing of the questionable values and insensitiveness of some of our imported ‘guests’ thrown into the mix. That can’t be ignored!
13:28. We can agree to partially disagree (or not), however, it is a known and accepted sociological tenet that ‘modernization’ anddevelopment definitely erodes older cultural values. It is not a matter of blame, it is a matter of fact. Obviously, it has greater impact on the generations which arise and mature after its onset. To suggest otherwise is plainly naive or simply wrong – as wrong as your assertion that such values "could never had been deeply rooted in the first place". That borders on being insulting but is most certainly uninformed (I give you the benefit of doubt of the latter). You don’t see older generation Caymanians (age 50 and older) displaying the callousness which supports what we are discussing.
Your time-frame dating back to 1982 explains it though, because you have no baseline for comparison. The ’80’s were world reknown as the greedy, "me decade" (that was the terminology attached, not my creation) and Cayman was also caught squarely in that, as evidenced by the over-inflated real estate boom and the peak of the money laundering years – all totally legal, mind you! Many people, foreign investors and locals, became wealthy(-ier) during that time. Our era of greed can be traced firmly back to the late 70’s and rooted in the political scene of the day, which unquestionably fostered the real-estate boom and thus, development. Coincidentally, the late ’70’s also introduced TV and its influences to our society.
It generally takes the maturing of one nuclear generation (20+ years) for society to be effected by a major shift in social factors. Then, due to interactive and influential human factors, that time reduces for each successive generation, so the cause & effect gap narrows to a plateau of a 8 -12 year average. Essentially, the impressionable youth of the ’80s who were captivated by the ‘new’ Cayman, are the parents of today’s youth. Guess what examples many of their children were raised under?
Obviously, personal character and choice is a major factor, because my example above clearly does not include every child of the ’80’s but the impact is obvious.
So, if you can disassociate declining social values from development then I suggest you take a course in sociology.
"Known and accepted"? Show me. It is not fact, it is your subjective opinion. If your premise were fact then Caymanian society would have experienced decline in cultural values with every period of "modernisation". Where would we be now culturally after 500 years of development? You have squarely placed blame for declining cultural values on modernisation and development where modernisation and development (rather the over-inflated real estate and money laundering) are the result of declining cultural values. That is my subjective opinion. I will be more than willing to take that sociology class WITH you. Stop fakin’ the funk. Folks deride and ridicule those who have taken the sociology classes as educated fools yet the same folks are perfectly comfortable professing subjective opinion as fact.
19:55 could you have broken that down so little old me could understand it. I do not have the foggiest what you are talking about. Too many dictionary words.
"Trust us", says the RCIP.
No! You do not deserve trust.
How many Hit-and-Run car accidents are there? Does the RCIP track those separately from other accidents?
Clearly not all car accidents will make the headlines. What criteria should be used to decide when a press release will be issued? Base it on extent of injuries and/or damages?
If accidents with no injuries are less likely to result in a press release, then what is the minimal level of injury in a Hit-and-Run that would result in a press release? Bruises? Whiplash? Visible bleeding? Broken bones?
Finally, how fast should the public be privy to private medical information about a victim of such a crime? The man in this case had "serious head injuries." That could be readily apparent to a casual observer or possibly not. A closed head injury can be very serious yet not be readily apparent until after various medical tests are performed.
How many Honda Sabres can there be in Cayman?? And every one will have a registered address, go door to door and ask to see their car and ask their neighbours if they saw anything.
but by all means, wait a few more months. Maybe after the Holidays.
Oh, no, my dear. When Dr. Shetty arrives on the island the news will be that every known gangsta has been rounded up, every cold case solved and that the island is now crime free.
Come on RCIPS, I dont believe you have not thought to ask all the shops, dealers selling car parts if they sold or ordered in a mirror for a Honda Sabre after the date of the accident. Cant be that many sold or ordered.
To Friday 21:02. I agree that your comments may be valid in today’s Cayman, however, I wonder what time frame is covered under your "many, many years here"? I’m a post baby-boomer, who came of age in the 70’s. The Cayman I recall growing up does not fit your critique of a lack of ethics, accountability, integrity, Christian values and decency. It is clear that the depletion of such values is a more recent phenonema, not unlike most of the world, and equally clear that it can be directly pegged to the ‘development’ we’ve experienced since that time.
It would seem that you missed that era here and in relative terms, perhaps "many, many, years" might not present a clear perspective of what you tried to convey. That’s semantics though, because it is what it is now. Thank God I knew a different Cayman.
With all due respect, air conditioners have replaced mosquitos, BMW’s have replaced walking, and Boston Whalers have replaced cat boats. If these developments have caused us to loose our christian values, ethics, etc, then those beliefs could never have been deeply rooted in the first place.
My time frame is 1982 onwards. I’m happy that you knew a different Cayman. You will always have those fond memories.
However, there is some parent, some friend, some enemy, who knows who committed this crime. For every criminal being protected, there is a corresponding victim and his family, suffering. Why is it the suffering family has no rights, no justice, no closure in our society? Such protection comes from the top, and not from the common man. Its a disgrace, and speaks volumes of the corruption we have. We cannot, and must not, blame development, other cultures, other countries for the individual choices we make.
What a truly unprofessional and thoroughly neglectful approach here from the police. Why did they wait 2 months to report this to the public? If they had reported this straight away the public could have been looking out for damaged sabre’s matching this description. After 2 months the culprit would surely have fixed it and cleaned off any traces.
I think this goes beyond incompetence on the police behalf, this has to be a cover up. If I was a braver man (I’m not as I’ve heard all about those immigration knocks at the door and swift repatriation of foreigners daring to have a voice against Caymanian corruption), then I would say a relative or close friend of somebody connected to the government or the upper echelons of the police, were driving.
Cayman needs to cut out this kind of corruption if it is seriously trying to retain and attract business to the island to try and pull itself out of the toilet. Reporting a hit and run will do nothing in terms of damage to tourism and business than these continuing corruption scandals in the police and government.
The simple reason? RCIPS is plagued by the same problem experienced by many of our public service departments – chock full of undereducated, underachieving, unprofessional staff who are just there for the monthly cheque. Then, throw in the normal expected human factor mix of the less- than-ethical few here and there. People like that need some form of authoritative position to feel whole. Sadly, getting a ‘government job’ does not in itself address the fundamental personal shortcomings. That type of person will always be a loser – problem is, society on a whole loses by having to depend on them. That is, of course, sad but even more sad is that the capable, honest, professional colleagues who work alongside the bozos are unfairly painted with the same brush.
Makes you wonder what else they keeping quiet….
How sad. 6 weeks.WOW. That mirror done fix taken probably from a scrap yard.May God rest his soul and give the most remorse to the culprit that someone may notice his or her behavior.NOW why anonymous on things like that. How can some of you sleep at night~! I just don’t get it. Have we gone that low…. How I miss my old Cayman. YOU who did this I will pray for you so that you turn yourself in. Remember God don’t like ugly. R.I.P. Mr. Jervis I did not know you butyou were someone child maybe someone father who knows ? R.C.I.P green Honda Sabre on Island if registered properly.
They keeping this secret just like how they keeping quite about the hospital cashier being robbed early yesterday evening!! (confirmed by hospital worker) This is some law and order we have around here. So based on the information they did not even appeal for witnesses to this incident. God please help us, send us real law and order prossionals here on the island!!
The one thing I have learnt over my many, many, years here. Ethic’s, accountability, integrity, christian values and decency are a part of Cayman’s landscape as much as we have rivers and mountains. It is impossible the police don’t know who committed this crime. I can’t be the only person who has heard rumors. They knew from the beginning who they are protecting.
I appreciated reading your thoughts because the same idea crossed my mind as well.
How sad, poor Mikey! Condolences to the family here and in the Brac. Now to the RCIPS – how totally irresponsible, heartless, unprofessional, inept, and any other synonym for being totally useless could this have been handled? Since the time this accident happened they put out appeals for a green Honda Sabre. How hard is it to locate all such vehicles on the island? The Department of Vehicle Licensing has all the details!! By now that vehicle could be any colour or even be shipped off the island. Really, this is the lowest of the low. Right down there with them threatening to arrest Sabrina Schirn when they caught her!
Then the press release – "detained in the hospital…."??!! What’s that supposed to mean?? The poor man was in a coma, for God’s sake!
Finally, this hit-and-runhabit has to be stopped. For 70+ years there have been vehicle-pedestrian/cyclists encounters on our roads and it was very rare that the drivers didn’t stop. Now that seems like the exception. Seems like people have no feelings and less conscience these days.
Who in the RCIP made the decision to keep this crime secret?
(((handshake)))
How could the police justify keeping this heinous hit and run resulting in loss of life from the public ? Waiting for months means the likihood of the public coming forward is greatly reduced.
What must the family of the victim have thought at keeping this crime secret?
How sad. The car cannot be licenced without that mirror.
Hit an run —- I hope they hunt you down like a dog, find you and thow away the key. But God knows who you are and he will visit you with wrath.
my bet is that the ‘dog’ is a fine upstanding member of the community…. or family member of that fine member