Victim, ‘Sweet Man’, dies “crying for pain”

BROKEN RIBS and legs, a bleeding and swollen head as well as damaged abdomen.

These are some of the injuries sustained by the island’s latest road fatality, Andrew ‘Sweet Man’ McKie, when he was struck by a pickup on Wednesday, June 21, in Kingstown.

The “jokester” and lover of politics, as described by his family during an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, died just two weeks shy of his 63rd birthday.

His sister, Lucy McKie, said the last moments of her brother’s life were wracked with pain and she admitted she has not been coping well since his passing.

“My brother shouldn’t go down like that. I want justice for my brother. He dead in there [hospital] crying for pain. He [was] well mash up.”

Describing the circumstances of the vehicle incident, Lucy and her son Damian McKie said they were accustomed to Andrew leaving and returning to their Murray’s Village residence at his leisure. They said Andrew had been affected by a nail puncture to his foot and travelled to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) on the morning of the accident to seek medical attention.

He had spent the day there but he was reportedly unable to be seen by a doctor and decided to leave the hospital that evening around 6:00 p.m to return home. It was on this walk from the MCMH along Grenville Street that Andrew was struck.The family said they were informed by eye witnesses to the accident that a vehicle had stopped at the junction of Grenville Street and Halifax Street to allow Andrew to cross. Another vehicle, travelling in the opposite direction, reportedly collided with Andrew, “pitch him in the air” and he landed in a drain on the section of road by the High Court building. The family also said they believed Andrew was awaiting the assistance of the ambulance for “a good while” before he was transported to the hospital.

A video showing the aftermath of the vehicular accident with Andrew’s battered body and the pickup which was extensively damaged at the front, has been circulating on social media.

Lucy said members of the family went to the hospital after they received news about the incident and shortly after, the driver of the vehicle that struck Andrew, along with “his people”, also turned up at the hospital to check on the victim’s condition.

“They went in and just look, look at him,” Lucy said, adding that she received a call after 12:00 a.m on Thursday, June 22, informing her that Andrew had died as a result of his injuries.

She also said hospital personnel informed her that Andrew’s injuries were so severe that if he had survived he would have been paralysed for the rest of his life.

The distraught sibling said Andrew’s family overseas have made arrangements to come to St Vincent to not only attend the funeral, but also to join the fight for justice.

“We not leaving it so. No. I want he [driver] license to get take ‘way for good cause. He could go do the same to somebody else.That is real reckless driving.”

Lucy said her brother, who she describes as a staunch supporter of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) will be “put down” with his red flags when he is laid to rest.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that the driver of the vehicle is expected to be charged soon in connection with Andrew’s death.