Cop pursuit ends in crash
(CNS): A fifteen year old boy who was involved in a serious motor cycle collision in the early hours of Wednesday morning has sustained serious head injuries. The teenager, who was riding pillion behind a sixteen year old driver when the motorbike crashed into the rear of another vehicle while being pursued by a police car, is currently waiting to be airlifted to the US for treatment. The teenage driver sustained injuries to his arms and legs and is being treated at the Cayman Islands hospital, along with the pregnant, female driver of the car who was admitted with neck injuries. An RCIPS spokesperson said that the officer involved in the pursuit has been suspended from driving duties while the investigation is underway.(PhotoDennie WarrenJr)
Police say that the teens were spotted by a patrol car at around 3am this morning riding along the West Bay Road with no lights. The marked police vehicle was heading north in West Bay Road, close to Pizza Hut when the officer reportedly saw the motorcycle with two people on board, driving south towards George Town with no lights on.
“The officer immediately turned his vehicle around, switched on his blue lights and sirens, and signalled the motorcycle to stop. A short time later, as the motorcycle approached the vicinity of the St Matthews University residencies, it collided with the rear of a car which was also travelling south,” a police spokesperson stated.
The 34-year-old female driver of the car, who is several months pregnant and her three passengers were all taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital suffering from head and neck pain. The passengers have since been treated and discharged but the driverremains in the hospital, police said at lunchtime.
The West Bay Road was closed for several hours following the collision to allow the scene to be processed causing problems for early morning commuter traffic. Superintendent Adrian Seales is overseeing the investigation and police said that in accordance with standard practice the driver of the police vehicle has been suspended from driving duties until all of the circumstances surrounding the collision are investigated.
Category: Headline News
It is to my believe that the people of the Cayman Islands need to wake and realize that this is not the Cayman Island that it was 50 years ago, or 10 years ago for that matter. As another blogger rightly states, we as civilians are expecting the police to be too passive with their duties as constable and officer of the law. How are they expected to do their duties when every time and incident such as this occurs they are penalized for doing what they should have done. Though my heart goes out to the individuals that were involved in this incident, and though this is just an initial report on the case itself, I strongly believe that this officer was in his right to do what he has done.
To often I have seen you as motorist ignore those flashing blue light and sirens when on the road. That in itself is an offense and i hope the officers of the law take this into consideration the next time you they encounter one who has obstructed their duties by ignoring these lights. Had these two young men simply stopped when they were indicated to do so, all they would have gotten was some groundings and a slap on the wrist in the traffic court at the end of the day.
People need to understand that the law is there to protect them and ensure order in the islands. The people that enforce them want the same things. Try to be safe out there please and begging you.
May I remind EVERYONE that we all if lucky make it through our teen years, and if memory serves me correct. We did some very stupid things. But at that age we were invincible, indispensable, unbreakable! We never thought that we would ever get caught, we never thought that any one would know so we did it. Right?
What I am trying to say is, we know that there is wrong doing here on the teenagers part. We know that their judgement could have been better but they are teen age boys. No excuses, just reality.
What we need to remind ourselves, is that a battle to live is going on right now, family is remorsing and feeling pain, having regrets and wishing that they could have been there for every moment they weren’t. A friend is living with guilt. The police is living with guilt, the lady driver is living with guilt.
What can we do but pray and hope that we everyone make better choices, but don’t point a finger. In life all it takes is one thing to change your perspective on life. Pray for everyone involved, I have. Oh and one more thing, never go by the police report only, you would only be reading what they police had to say…hmmmm. See all sides before casting judgement.
Why would the lady driver be living with guilt????
All of you, need to stop be such heartless people! There is a young boy, 15 years old, that might not make it so see his 16th birthday, now you think of that. All of you parents that commented and had something nasty to say. Your telling me that you know exactly what your child is doing at every moment of the day! I am a young adult myself going to Law school and accomplishing things in my life, and I do many thing without my parents knowledge. So you can not judge other people parenting skilling esp when you do not know 2 cents about these families lives. It does not matter what happened there is a young boy life at stake. None of you are God and get to decide who lives nor decide if he deserves it. He is someone’s son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend. So before you judge other people lives, take a reflection on your own personal life, are you perfect?
Police did what they had to do. I don’t think the police officer would have been able to determine in the dark with the motor bike passing whether those guys were kids or age 18 and older. Obviously, the motor bike without a light on was a danger to everyone else on the road. Yes it is a sad outcome for everyone involved, but the matter of fact is there are consquences for any and every decision made and action taken.
What’s there to LOL about? This is a post of sensible nature.
I really doubt any cares but here’s my opinion. Teenagers out at 3AM, Riding a Motorcycle without a license and no lights on. Bottom Line, they were up to no good weather is be just joyriding or committing a robbery, they brought this on themselves and they should never have tried to run from the police, if they were innocent of wrong doing they wouldn’t be running. If the police didn’t chase them, then the next group or losers would just know that all you have to do if run and the police won’t chase you. Feel bad for the kids, Yes, but it’s nobody else’s fault but their own. For the Police, I commend them for doing their job and putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the public.
If these kids do get better they should face a slew a charges, if one of the passengers in the other car had died they should’ve been charged with Manslaughter.
Although I am sure that if they get better, they will only get a timeout and be out lurking the streets at 3AM again. For all those who say pity these young Caymanians it’s not their fault, the next time it just might be you or one of your loved ones hurt or even killed by these knuckleheads.
I’m not sure of the details of this case, and I do feel bad that two boys are hurt, but I must say that I have been noticing young boys on motorcycles for about 9 months now. By noticing I mean that they absolutely blow passed me going about 75 MPH. Most of them look like they are about 17 years old and I must ask, how is it that they are getting a motorcycle license? I know you must have a 125cc license for at least 2 years before getting anything bigger. These motorcycles they are driving are racing machines that are 750 cc – 1300 cc designed to go over 150 – 175 MPH. I’m sure the family of the young boy knew their son was riding this motorcycle and perhaps even bought it for the boy. The blame needs to land squarely where it belongs…on the boy and his family. Again, I hope they both recover and don’t have any long lasting wounds from this ordeal, but it was bound to happen. Also, I’m a big fan of motorcycles and believe they have a place in Grand Cayman, but the foolish riding and excessive speed will cause more accidents like this in the future.
I believe I might strike a nerve with many of you out there but I believe we are too passive as a country now.
I think we are setting a dangerous precedence if we say to Police they can not chase someone who has done something illegal.
I believe we are making victims out of crminals here.
Now let me be clear I feel for ACTUAL victims who could get caught up in this but I do not feel for criminals who get hurt while fleeing police.
Let’s be clear the boy is a criminal. If the motorcycle had not chosen to try to escape we would not be having this conversation right now. It is because of the ettempt to escape that we have an accident at all to talk about.
I can only hope that the pregnant female and her unborn child are okay. THEY ARE THE VICTIMS IN THIS!!!
What scares me is if crminals now start to use this to their advantage. If this proved useful to them then crmine might escalate even further as criminals would be more brazen and could increase their attempts.
People, as much as I have found the police incompetent over many other issues this is not one they are wrong on. They should have the right to pursue criminals. If not it would be something else we would blame them for.
Let’s be real. Rarely they even get the chance to encounter criminals and we don’t want them to pursue them? What sense does this make. We blame them for taking 15 minutes from the police station to Compass Centre because they arrive too late to catch anyone but when they attempt to catch someone you still find them wrong. We have to figure which side of the line we are on. We can not have it both ways.
Now listenI am not saying police should be having a shoot out on West Bay road but chasing a criminal in an attempt to catch them and place them behind bars in a way that they themselves do not do harm to innocent bystandaers is not wrong. The police can not control the vehicle they are chasing but they have a right to pursue in a manner that they themselves do not endanger anyone with their actions. That meaning that they do not cause damage to anyone.
This incident is the motocycle driver’s fault and there’s alone.
Beat the police up for other things but not this.
Please read Cay Compass article 4th of May 2010 Caymanian wins police abuse lawsuit by reporter Stuart Wilson could Commissioner Baines please explain to us what actions have been taken against this officer when it is clear he was clearly not truthful to the court about as to how a young rider got injured during a “Police chase” but also causing him serious and permanent injuries and costing the Government over CI$180,000. This is just another example on how things go on this island. I guess a promotion will be in order whilst others have been dismissed or disciplined for less.
The Subject in your case was riding a bicycle. That a big difference from a motorcycle. And the Officer hit him with the car..
Your attempts to mislead others appear dilberate and amusing article clearly states motorcycle. In any case police officers should demostate good judgement and sound reasoning and not dilberately attempt to cause harm our endanger others in any circumstances unless to preserve his or her life or other members of the public, and on top of that be untruthful in a court of law.
Knowledge:
1. if its not a law it should be, police officers should not give chase to motorcycles after a 1/2 mile unless air support is on the scene; a motorcycle is a very fast and dangerous vehicle so everyones safety is at risk
2. all persons riding a motorcycle should have to take a motorcycle rider safety class before they get a license
the problem here in cayman is that the police officers all have different styles of training and by that every country has different laws regarding pursuits; policies and procedures are very hard to instill in someone whom has experience from other places.
the police officers need to start backing up each other and also the must have better training to handle vehicular stops and pursuits.
Motorcycle safety how many people in cayman actually do know how to ride a motorcycle with out killing themselves, the department of licensing does a 3 cone ride around test to certify that a person can handle a motorcycle, no wonder everyone passes.
learning how to operate a motorcycle is easy but learning how to operate a motorcycle safely is the hardest part they need a 2 or 3 day rider education course, a 2 year waiting period how many of the motorcycles are on the street and how many of them are actually being operated by a licensed rider or have been registered in cayman.
For most of your comment, I agree with you. However, the riders in this case were not yet of the age to be on a motorcycle!
1. if its not a law it should be, police officers should not give chase to motorcycles after a 1/2 mile unless air support is on the scene; a motorcycle is a very fast and dangerous vehicle so everyones safety is at risk
That is a joke!!!!!
So you tell me that after a half a mile in a pursuit should be ended when someone is on a motorbike. LMFAO. and you think that a police helecopter can get from the airport to any location in time within 30 seconds of the report of a pursuit on a bike? Give me a break!!! Oh let me see! I am going to rob this store tonight, but I will ride a motorbike because a police car cannot pursue me!!! Are you saying that a country like Bermuda need to police because they should not be able to pursue people on motorbikes (Bermuda being a country that about 80% of the people have scooters/motorbikes).
And the rest is incorrect!!!! do you have a motor cycle licence? The DMV would not issue a licence to someone with no experience. They would offer you a licence for a scooter. Which you need to practice on for a while before upgrading. The problem with this is people do not follow the rules. They will ride a bike with higher cc then they are supposed to.
As for the police being suspended!! WHY? he was doing his job and these juveniles who are not even of age to have a licence should not have been on the bike in the first place. I think that the parents should also be taken to court for negligence. Their kid is out at 3 am jolly riding! the police officer did everything by the books! He did not ram them off the bike! When you are driving and you see a police car behind you do you try to outrun them or do you pull over!!! I amsure you do not try to outrun them, or else you would be a criminal as well.
With suggestion #1 you created pathetic comedy out of an otherwise sensible idea.
What is happening kids having kids,so the parent give in easy to the kids to get them off there back.My kid knew who was parent and who was child,I raise my kid the way I was raise I did not turn out bad so I guess my parent did some thing right all i hear these day I don’t want to raise my kids the way I was raise and I have to ask did we turn out so bad,the kids these days need stricker rules than we did,I was in court one day as a juror drug court was on an it was puityful the kids that was there,if this is the futher of cayman we need lots of prays.Give the police a break they were doing there jobs,I saw a guy today on his bike on one wheel and I first though where is the police,why did the kids not stop.
i bet if it was any of your kids you wouldnt of blamed the parents…right?
What a mess!
It is possible that the teenagers were out without the parents knowledge and consent…no one can swear for their children as ‘evil companions corrupt good manners’ and they can sometimes be lead astray and tempted to do wrong with with the best upbringing. I hope that parents are teaching children that their actions will carry consequences.
Why in God’s name however did the police find it necessary to do this high speed chase? Could they not have caught up with the motorcycle without endangering themselves, the persons on the motorcycles and any other traffic on the road at the same time?
The outcome now is that the people of Cayman have to pay for medical expenses not only here but abroad…consequences!
Inocent people paying for the stupidity of others…and there is no end in sight, A real tragedy!
XXXX
For goodness sake people, there have been numerous robberies, shootings, stabbings and whatever else right next door to the police stations! And then they can’t catch the perpetrators?
They have no proper training regarding how to deal with certain situations. I’ve seen them in action and listened to their comments and threats. The majority of them have absolutely no manners, respect or concern for any members of the public. They push their weight around at our expense and treat our children like dirt. I’ve witnessed this first hand so please don’t even try to go there about how grateful we should be to have the RCIPS!
I’m not giving the teenagers rights for being out that late on a bike with no lights and them not being of driving age but I do say that the RCIPS needs a good shake down with regard to the quality of officers it employs. Watch them ride around in the police cars with the a/c on and not making any progress on any of the cold cases we have here. They won’t comeout to a "minor" domestic dispute but let them get wind that there’s the smell of ganja smoke in the air and watch them come running. Their response time to accidents and major crimes is atrocious but they nearly wipe out pedestrians when they are on the hunt for drugs.
The phrase "stupid is as stupid does" comes to mind when I recall certain cases in which the police have made poor choices in dealing with certain situations.
I pray that both those boys and their families will be able to overcome this horrible ordeal XXXX
My heart goes out to both families involved and I pray that the poor little boy who is in a coma recovers soon and the frightened boy in hospital can one day overcome the nightmares he is going to experience.
XXXX
God help us all!
I agree with you totally..The Police should have activated their "Super stealth cloaking device" and secretly followed the motorcycle at a safe distance until they stopped..at which time they could have turned it off and jumped out and yelled "BUSTED"….and then everyone would have been happy…
Who said it was a high speed chase? Read the news before making assumptions. The officer was doing his job and the ‘chase’ based on the article and the locations referenced, couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds. The officer was doing his job and anything less would be tantamount to dereliction of duty. He is not to blame in the slightest and your comment/question about what he was thinking is ridiculous. This was NOT a cross island high speed, formula one type event, it was an officer attempting to make a routine traffic stop that happened to end tragically. Stop looking for any excuse to blame the police – try support them for once.
The first part of your comment makes sense to me. However, the Policeman was not involved in the crash. therefore cannot be blamed for what is actually his job. Stop crime, which as it turns out was happening. Driving under the age without a license obviously and without lights.
"Why in God’s name however did the police find it necessary to do this high speed chase?" You cannot be serious!
First of all, where in the article does it say this was a "high speed chase"? Huh?
So, what you seem to be proposing is that should suspect vehicle A depart from the vicinity of police car B at a high rate of speed, the police car B can catch suspect vehicle A without going fast? Good GOD! Shazaam! Why has no one ever thought of this before? It would make apprehending fleeing suspects SO much safer! You are freaking BRILLIANT!
Listen, I hate to rain on your parade but I am a bit skeptical that those laws of acceleration work in the real world. Don’t get too upset. I mean how could you know, living in another universe with differing laws of physics and all. you must live on a nice planet with polite criminals who never break the speed limit when being pursued by the law.
Oh, you mean you do not live on another planet but here on Earth? Could have fooled me. Darn. Hey, cheer up! I have an idea you might like. Maybe we can equip all police vehicles with one of those scrolling text lighted signs. When the cop car is in a pursuit instead of lights and a siren, the sign will pop up out of the hood, displaying the following text: "Please stop. Or at least slow down so I can catch you safely. Pretty, pretty please!" The text could also be accompanied by an amplified voice message so as not to distract the offending driver by his having to look in his rear view mirror to read the sign. He can concentrate al his attention on his task of evading the police and escaping capture safely. Added safety bonus is that the fleeing driver would not be startled by those pesky flashing lights and that irritating siren. This plan would allow police to apprehend fleeing suspects without endangering anyone. For those difficult chases involving hardened criminals fleeing scenes of serious crimes, another line of text could be added: "With sugar and honey on it." That should stop ’em dead in their tracks and no one gets hurt. I am confident you will think this is a great plan.
My prayers go to the pregnant lady, the 2 teenagers and their parents which I am certain are not very well at this time. Not to defend parents but it’s at times difficult to know what goes on in our teenagers minds today specially 24-7. I have known many well brought up children whom have made a serious mistake while being teenagers not thinking of the consequences of their acts. No matter what , they stand to have a chance of this 3 AM crazy ride to follow them for the rest of their lives. To the Police Officer I feel what you did is part of your duty and you should not blame yourself; we have all been demanding a lot of the Police Force lately and this is whatit’s called doing your duty. Let’s reserve our judment until the facts are known as to why ? Let’s instead pray that they all have a full recovery and a lesson has been learned….. the hard way. God Bless
whats up people blamin the parents!..have you ever heard of hard headed kids? maybe the parents told um hundreds of times but they jus wouldnt listen..how do you kno ur child doesnt do the same?…oh you probably be sleepin too…
16 and 15 year olds should not be out prowling the bar scene at 3am on a school night, let alone on a motorcycle. Do I blame their parents/guardians for allowing this? YES I DO.
how do you kno theyre in school? n what makes you think the parents knew about it? it was 3 in the morning…also a work night! why would they be awake worryin about their 15 & 16 yr old kids who they probably thought were sleepin?…
Where does it say they were prowling the car scene? Why would it matter if it were a school night anyway? I’m pretty sure it’s illegal for underage kids to be in a bar on any night.
And if a kid sneaks out in the wee hours, how are the parents supposed to know?
I did it once and my parents never knew. But I didn’t have a motorcycle to ride so I got bored and went back to bed
Now I am not one to always pass judgement on everything in the news as I DO NOT KNOW the facts. But what or should I say who I know are the parents of the injured 15 year old boy. It hurts me to know what they are going through especially the mother. I have prayed and continue to pray for them along with everyone else in this accident. Sadly children will be children no matter what happens in life and no matter how much you talk or even beat/punish them. Can we all stop assuming and making up bull and just pray. I don’t gave the young boys right for being out that time of night but like someone mentioned earlier who really thinks of consquences at 15 and 16, when I was that age there were a few times I didn’t in the name of fun. Come on Cayman what if you were the parents or close to the family how wold you feel? Stop passing judgement and leave that to the Father above.
I find it amazing hat whatever the police do, they get bashed for it. If the fficer didn;t give chase and the bike hit and killed the pedestrian, you would all be lambasting the officer (and Mr. Baines) for not doing their job and now, because the officer did do his job, he is being criticised for it. If the police can’t give chase to a vehicle breaking the law how many cars do you think will stop when the police try to pull them over. Unfortunately when you break the law things happen…..moral of the story…….don’t break the law. Good job RCIPS – keep up the good work.
Also, if the officer took down his registration and had visual sight of who was driving, he could had stop the pursuit and find where the suspect lives before things got out of hand.
That is an excellant idea Barney Fife.
Except if it was the same teens that stole my neighbors motorcycle for a joyride last year. Wrecked it, dumped it and who do you think paid for the repair??
No sympathy for the motorcyclists. When they speed my by me in the centre of 2 lanes on a DOUBLE-SOLID I do not for one second feel sorry for them. My sympathies to the woman who was hit and the police for having to deal with this miscreant, but the motorcyclists?
XXXX
I WILL BE THE FIRST TO FIRE AFTER THE RCIPS when they mess up but Mr. Commissioner you got my support for your officer on this one. Okay people please read carefully what I have to say…
If you are travelling 40mph on a motorcycle on West Bay Rd passing Pizza Hut you are only less than a mile away from where the accident happened. You have to take into account that the officer had to turn his/her car around and speed up to catch up to these riders and turn on his/her lights and sirens. By the time you get all of that done you already are near Treasure Island Resort and only a few yards from the spot of this accident. So it may not even be the case that the officer was given chase. In fact he/she probably just got behind the 2 kids. They are riding without lights and the officer cannot tell if its a 16 year old or a 40 year old riding that time of night.
So all in all I do not think the officer is in the wrong on this one. Just a bad case of being a bad move by these kids!! Shame on them.
This is an unfortunate event. Prayers and speedy recovery for those involved. Especially for the innocent by-standers involved, God bless that unborn child. In my opinion Police are not at fault. Stoping a vehicle/motorbike driving with out lights at night is not in anyway wrong, that was in effortto prevent troubles. Obviously if you run you have something to hide. In this case no license, possible no lights, parental permission etc. A basic stop did not have to end like this and how were the officers to know they were just youths. As they say every action causes a reaction. Youths be mindful of your reactions. You get caught just deal with it as simple as possible dont continue to do wrong. I understand that it is routine for the officer suspension, but truthfully I give them no fault…
Sometimes I do feel for the police as they can’t win.
They are being bashed for doing their job – pursuing a bike with 2 youths at 3am in the morning with out any lights (I’m sorry, but if they weren’t doing anything wrong they would have stopped)
on the other hand – If the police hadn’t pursued, and we heard of an incedent where 2 youths had either stollen a bike, or had robbed somewhere and had fled on a bike, only to find out that they had been seen earlier and not stopped, it would be the fault of the police again for not doing their job.
Come on people, I know the police force aren’t perfect, but at least give them a break now and then. This officer was only doing HIS JOB.
Where are the parents? where are the parents? Probably in bed sleeping thinking these two youngsters was doing the same thing at 3 in the morning! Come on now, let’s call a spade a spade! People usually run when they are trying not to get caught – this is what happened with these two youngsters started the chase which sadly ended up the way that it did. The suspended cop was only doing his/her job is my opinion and it is quite unfortunate.
Father as I come to You today to pray for the adults, teens and unborn child (not sayin the unborn was hurt) that was hurt in this car crash, Lord I bow my knees and left my hands to you to show mercy on the teens, Lord cause you are a mercyful and forgving God, Father I pray that you place your hands of healing power on the adults, that they may not feel pain from this crash ever again, Lord you have made the blind see, the cripple walk, you have fed 3000 with 5 five fish and two loafs of bread, and turn water into wine, you are the most powerful Father I know, and I know that you can heal because your are the Alpha and the Omega, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
Father as you already know I came to you not only to pray for everyone involved in this crash, but to ask forgiveness for the person (man or woman) “SERIOUSLY?” that made thier post 13.29.
Father forgive them for they no not what they say or do, show mercy to them for behaving the way they are on this site and questioning your Highest power. “SERIOUSLY” I dont know what bible you are reading, but just a suggestion buy a NIV version it’s in plain English so that you can understand that God is the Best MD we can ask for. May God Bless You.
I leave with this though, becarful what you say ’cause just like the devil on judgement day you will have to bow on your knees before God and proclaim that He is the Lord your Lords, Am just saying.
I pray that all involved are going to be ok.
This is really a tough one to blame on the cop who was driving the patrol car since he would have had no idea that it would end with a crash. What should he have done? Should he have simply ignored someone who was breaking the law? At the same time, one has to use their discretion in the face of a given situation and decide if it is really worth pursuing (no pun intended). The benefit that would have been gained by pursuing and stopping the motorcycle was just not worth the potential for a crash. Common sense would tell most people that in the scenario described there was probably very little chance that the rider was simply going to stop, although that’s exactly what he should have done. This is a sad case in which poor judgment by both parties has resulted in what is probably life altering injury to a teenager.
completely agree with this statement. I’m not going to point the finger at the cop here, but I think there should be a policy in place to call off a high speed pursuit in certain circumstances. at 3am, chasing someone the length of the busiest stretch on the island, at the beginning of spring break – this just sounds like trouble waiting to happen imo. let the criminals get away this time.
I understand that everyone is targeting the youths & their parents but PARENTS SLEEP TOO YOU KNOW!!!
Police also need to take caution when chasing people because naturally the speed will increase possibly causing the chase to end up FATAL.
Anyways get better & i really hope to see you soon!
You remain in the prayers of me & my family…luv u baby!
Parent’s sleep too??? yeah, maybe they were sleeping when they should have been teaching their kids some responsibility!! thankfully this time the foolish actions of these runaways didnt result in any deaths.. I hope the kids recover, but I also hope the law weighs a heavy hand on them.. and in my opinion the parents should have a share of the blame too… and as for the policeman.. in my opinion he/she is not at fault, if these kids were daft enough to run from the police then they may well have been rekless enough to have caused a crash and serioius injury to inocent people, and therefore needed to be stopped…
Yes I too have read the bible, and Jesus is the great healer,check Exodus 15vs26,Psalms 103vs3,Isiah 53vs5,James 5vs16,1Peter 2vs24,. I have a 16 year old son and I know where he is at night, during the day at all times.
My thoughts and prayers are with this seriously injured young man and his family. I do sincerely hope he will be ok.
And to all those blaming the parents – please think back to your actions at 15 and 16 years of age.
Many of us knew what our parents would not approve of, yet found ways to do it anyway. I am sure these boys snuck out of their houses for a joyride while unsuspecting parents were asleep. At that age, you do not think of consequences – instead believing in the invincibility of youth.
Please do not add to the stress and worry the seriously injured young man’s parents are going through by blaming them for this.
As for the police, there have been too many incidents where police actions have led to deadly car and bike chases. They need to seriously rethink their policies to find ways to avoid injury and death. There was surely a way to find these boys rather than engage in a dangerous chase. Helloooo – ever heard of running a licence plate and going to the owner’s address? The boys would have gone home eventually!
Was the outcome really worth the chase? I think not.
If the police don’t try to catch them, then the public will start saying police not doing their jobs. We as a society need to make up our minds what we expect from the police, we are always complaining about them no matter what they do. The police were doing the job they are paid to do. My opinion it was the teens faults they had no right to be riding the motorcycle, therefore whatever happened to them happens, they took their chances and should suffer the consequences of their actions.
wow, ok im just a little confused here, so when the police spot someone breaking the law they should do what exactly????????????????????????? Police responding to the breaking of the law and they have to deliberate about whether or not they should do their jobs. Its an unfortunate situation and one can only hope that these youths are not permanently injured. Police did what they were supposed to do. given teh increase in crime especially amongst the youth this situation is HIGHLY suspicious. Good job RCIP; it is an unfortunate ending but the police were doing what they were paid to do
Officer suspended for what? doing his job??? People only run when they are doing something wrong and dont want to be caught – it’s quite clear that these young boys were doing something wrong at 3 in the morning I might addwhich led to the chase. RCIPS always get the shit end no matter how hard they try!
“where are the parents” “where are the parents” probably home in bed sleeping thinking those boys were doing the same thing! Come on now, and here is another eye-opener, many of the teens running around Cayman have no parental supervision because Daddy is probably in jail or out making his 6th or 7th child with one of his “baby mama’s” and Ma ma is probably strung out or stressed out from trying to survive in this economy that is obviously catering to the rich and well off who can afford to eat at the Wharf, go diving and play golf – whilst us Caymanians can barely afford to eat Wendy’s SuperValue or Corner’s 3.00 half-a-plate dinner for lunch. Take a good look Cayman – there is something wrong with this picture!!!!!!!!
My sympathies go out to the families of the injured boys. I personally know the parents of the seriously injured young man and can honestly say they are good parents.The father of this young man is a very good person and a more caring and loving father you could never find. I would just like to say that none of us unless we go through this experience knows what it’s like to go through this. Let’s pray that those that post negative comments here never have to experience something like this because until you get that telephone call or that knock on your door you will never know what it’s like. Remember this can happen to any of us. These young boys were wrong for being on the road but they are teenagers, our own cayman youth so please have a heart. This is not the first time this has happen, but let’s all get together and pray it will be the last. Pray for this family that this young man will get through this and be an example to others who might think of making the same mistake. God Bless.
They must have been using their cell phones!
You stupid inconsiderate idiot!
This is just sad and unfortunate we should all be praying for those concerned.
I’ve noticed from the previous posts that no one is sending best wishes for a speedy recovery to the pregnant woman driving the vehicle they slammed into who remains in hospital. I pray she and her baby will be alright and also her passengers who suffered some back and neck discomfort.
its easy to jump on the parents but you have to keep in mind that most parents would have seen their children off to bed and have gone to sleep as well by 3:00am. It is not impossible for a child to pretend to be asleep and sneak out of the house…Unless all parents are to stay up all night watching their children, put bars on all windows and or alarms on all doors there is no way to guarentee that a child wont sneak out of the house…
When will the police in Cayman chase the real criminals?
Whose to say these weren’t “real criminals”? they could have stollen the bike. They coudl have just been on their way from/to robbing somewhere.
Like everyone else who drives a car on this island I am surprised there are no more motorcycle accidents.
Popping a wheelie on the wrong side of the road with a rider on the back with traffic coming…no big deal.
100mph racing down Spotts raceway listening to the engine just scream it is another death accident waiting to happen.
As sad and sorry as I am that this had to happen in particular that these teenagers should have been in bed at the time of the accident in the hope they would have a school to go to in the morning (WHERE ARE THE PARENTS!!!!), I also would like to emphasize the fact of the no lights on the in this case motor bike but also all other vehicles. My wife and I travel each morning at 06.00 AM or earlier and about 06.45-07.00 PM at night. Bottom line: If we could get a dollar for every vehicle that drives around without lights of any kind at those times and I’m sure other times as well when it’s dark, we would be financially retired by now. Golden rule: When the street lights go or are on, please turn on your vehicle lights as well. CUC has nothing to do with this!!
God’speed recovery to all those involved!!
What would young children be out of their homes and on the street at that time of the morning? Were they up to something good? How many parents know the whereabouts of their children at night. Crime can be seen in various shades and colours. It is time for parents to play a greater roll in bring up their children, than having to look down in their faces in a casket. This is a sad and upsetting incident, which should getting our young people thinking and for them to understand that what is done in the dark will be revealed in the light. Never try to speed away from the police, who is usually there to protect you. Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin. We need more caymanians, this is not the way to go young people.
May you all live, learn and and always strive to do what is good and wholesome for survival. Prays for all.
Social Problems, Social Problems, when are we going to take this problem seriously and stop talking about our Island being one of the largest —– in the world!
Train interested Caymanians at all cost to deal with these problems!
Here we go again….16??? did the mother not realize the child wasn’t home? Probably not, its probably a normal thing…school??? not really, remember children actually graduate when they are 15 (going to be 16) that year. They don’t continue unless they go on to their A Levels and that is only if they have passes in 11th Year.
"Here we go again….16??? did the mother not realize the child wasn’t home? Probably not, its probably a normal thing…school??? not really, remember children actually graduate when they are 15 (going to be 16) that year. They don’t continue unless they go on to their A Levels and that is only if they have passes in 11th Year."
This Year 11 thing is new. What about the 15 yr old? They should have both been in their beds where they belong.
15 years, old 3am on the back of a moterbike! Mamma / Daddy do YOUR job.
I have noissue with the officer being suspended, temporarily, since it is a standard (and wise) procedure. A few other things stand out though:
1. “…behind a sixteen year old driver…” Last I heard, you had to be 16 to get a scooter license (under 125 cc I think), and wait two years before getting a full motorcycle license. Since you have to be 16 to drive anything, a little quick math tells me this driver was not licensed to drive a motorcycle. Somebody can correct me if I have the facts wrong. I have also made the assumption that this is a full motorcycle, although the article did not state that as fact.
2. “…riding along the West Bay Road with no lights…” Good way to draw attention to yourselves. Well done lads.
3. A 16 year old driver and a 15 year old passenger out at 3am on a motorcycle without lights or presumably a valid driver’s license. Seriously? Not pointing fingers, but is thee any parental involvement?
I am sure there are more facts that will emerge, but I hope the police don’t take a bad rap for this one. I also hope the teens are OK and live to regret their mistakes, and hopefully learn from them.
You are correct on most of your assumptions except. In Cayman any driver of a motor vehicle of any class must be at least 17. A driver of a motor cycle in excess of 125cc must be at least 19 years old as it is required by law to have a full license for a motor cycle under 125cc(scooters included) for two years before the license for a larger bike (more than 125cc) is issued.
Why in God’s name were these 2 youts out at that time of night on a motorcycle…joyriding ? Da wha u get.
Well I know in taking chase the RCIPS were definitely doing their job. Very suspicious behavior for anyone, particularly for youngsters of this age.
I’m sorry, but why was a 15 & 16 year old out and about at 3am. The parents need to held accountable to some extent.
I hope the ladies baby is okay
Cayman, let us pray for the family of this little youngster, and let us all stretch our hands up to the Lord for him, as only the Lord can pull him through.
Parents please continue to talk to your children and hold them dear to your hearts.
God’s Grace & Peace to the Family, and to all of Cayman Island
‘stretch our hands up to the lord’? ‘On;ly the lord can pull him through’? seriously? what century do you livein? This has absolutely NOTHING to do with ‘the lord’ if indeed he/she even exists. Only the lord can pull him through if the lord has been to university, qualified as a doctor, goes to Miami, works endless hours for poor pay, and has the medical knowledge required to treat head trauma. I’ve read the bible, and i didn’t see ‘God M.D.’ anywhere in it. You are as entitled to your religious views as i am, and my views are that you’re deluded.
BUT, let’s get to the point here. I was initially going to comment on how hopeless the police are here, but that would be a waste of time, as everyone knows that, but I think it was a good call on behalf of the officer concerned, given all the burglaries etc at the moment. Suspension is correct, but my fear is that depending on the origin country of the officer, we will either have a whitewash where an officer is left untouched, or an opposite whitewash where the ‘police police’ will cause another dedicated (yes sorry, probably expat) officer to be punished for doing his/her job. The facts are that honest and dedicated Caymanian officers do definitely exist, but are in the minority. So long as you have only locals in charge of the complaints dept, fairness will not prevail. It should contain a cross section of the service it polices, not just the local population.
Lastly, this is nothing to do with the parents in this case. These ‘yoots’ made their own decisions. While the parents can advise, you can’t blame everything a kid does on the parents. cast the spot from your own eye first Cayman.
I didn’t read all of “SERIOUSLY'”‘s post as I assume from the bits I did I read it is all rubbish, but have to comment on the parents are not to blame part! Are YOU serious?? These children are minors and their parents should have to answer for why their children are out at that hour and also how they gained access to a motor cycle (I can promise you this is not the first-or last- illegal act from these children). If parents did have to appear before the court to account for their children’s actions I guarantee you we wouldn’t have so much deliquency in these islands because parents would HAVE to be responsible or face consequences along with their outlaws. Hopefully YOU are raising any children!!!
“SERIOUSLY” you had me for a second there as our religious views are very similar, but you lost me with your opinionated spew on police. The police here are subpar but by how much, compared to the rest of the world ? and why would you take an incident in which the police actually did their job to hammer your point across? I can think of a lot of situations where Caymanian police did their job and got railroaded. Case in point when the officer in street clothes took down a machete wielding lunatic at a gas station one morning. This poor guy was put through hell. I am marveling at the fact that you believe that all expat officers are dedicated to the cause. You made a very feeble attempt to seem fair and just by stating that they are dedicated Caymanian officers in the force. Look I like to believe that I am as objective as it comes and I pay attention to the message and not the messenger. I don’t care if an expat or Caymanian says something that is true as long as it is fact. I welcome people sharing their opinions and perception of an issue as long as it is done in a constructive way. I am not going to lower myself to expat bashing as I believe expats play a very critical and important role in Cayman society and I for one gladly welcome expats to Cayman; but I refuse to sit idly by as the minority of ignorant expats continue to spew their hatred for all things Caymanian. The world is bigger than these 76 square miles, I know if I hated a place so much I would gladly move so I wouldn’t have to endure the sort of “pain” that some of you seem to endure. Look The size of Cayman along with the high turnover rate of people and officers pose a special problem for these islands. Their jobs are different than in other jurisdictions where legislature actually support the police force. There are a combination of factors that lead to the officers in Cayman being at times ineffective, but don’t think for a second that this problem is specific to Cayman. I would hope that you are objective enough to understand that cover-ups, blunders, bone headedness, lies, deceit etc happen in the jurisdiction in which you came from. The reason why it seems more disgusting in Cayman is due to the size of these Islands.
In regards to your first point about God, I agree with you, in regards to your last point about the parents I agree with you. Some of these kids do not have parents, and some of these kids come from parents who are not capable of parenting. Unfortunate but real situation. I love how when an incident like this happen how everybody is in shock an awe. Wake up people, Cayman is deteriorating lot faster than you think it is.
I wish I could hit the “thumbs up” button a zillion more times for the comment!
Hee! hee! Well, I guess you can’t. Hold dat in ya red!!! You’re not an expat and know what that means right?
Stretch our hands up 13:29,
You need a good dose of soul searching, go read the good book of Luke, Luke was a doctor but really are you just trying to get attention. God is alive and the maker of all of us. lets pray for 13:29
Pray ? What god ? Can we stop this stupidity.
Just a guy on a motorcycle being an idiot. That’s all.
Pray? yes!! What God? The one above!!
Just a guy on a motorcycle being an idiot huh?
Question for you smartness… What if he was your son?.
Bout stop the stupidity. The only stupidity I’ve seen is your comment!!
Look at the thumbs . . . . Who is an idiot now ?