FitzHughes man dies after accident

Fitz Hughes resident Jex Henville may have been alive today, had he listened to his common-law wife.{{more}}

Instead, the 53-year-old farmer became the country’s first road fatality for 2012, after being taken off life support at the Intensive Care Unit of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital yesterday, Thursday, February 2.

Henville was struck by motor vehicle P4760 driven by Glenroy Bobb of Questelles on the evening of Sunday, January 28, while standing on the Layou main road, moments after playing some friendly domino matches against a team from that town.

He suffered serious head and neck injuries.

Also struck was Henville’s friend Lemore Pierre, who is currently warded at the Male Surgical Ward of the hospital, also with head and neck injuries.

Gracie Spring, Henville’s partner for the past 15 years, told SEARCHLIGHT the day before he was taken off life support, that she was distraught since she heard the news that her soul mate had got into an accident.

“Since Sunday, me nah know how food taste, and me nah know how sleep stop.”

“It been me and he. When me gone one place to struggle, he would go to the mountain to struggle.”

She pointed out that she did not want him to leave home on Sunday, but the love for the game of domino was more compelling that evening.

“On Sunday I left go bathe… when I come back from bathe, I meet his slippers in front the door; ah say ‘way par Lala could gone.”

“When I dey in the kitchen he come back dress; me say ‘way you going?’ he say he ah go play domino. Me say ‘ nah go because look the door here to fix up’. He lead out and say ‘Dem man ah wait pon me.’”

With those words, Henville was gone.

Spring said that it was not until much later that night she received a telephone call, informing her that the father of three children from previous relationships was struck, and had died.

She said that she was not able to get to the hospital that night, but travelled to Kingstown at the first opportunity to be at her man’s side.

She was joined by relatives and friends who kept vigil outside the ICU from that day, hoping, waiting and praying for reassurance that Henville would live.

That was not to be.

Cornetta Jordan, one of his nieces, described ‘Lala’ as her favourite uncle and as a funloving and hardworking individual; a sentiment shared by others gathered at the hospital.

“He didn’t cause trouble and didn’t bother nobody; it’s sad that this could happen to him,” she lamented.

Jordan said that from the moment the doctors informed her that tests on his brain came back negative and his heart was beating slowly, she knew that she had lost her uncle.

“He done gone.”

The women indicated that the family would stay united as Henville would like it to remain, as they make plans for his funeral.(JJ)