Woman collapses, dies suddenly on compound of Petersville School

PUPILS of the Petersville Primary School were dismissed after lunch yesterday, March 16 after a woman died suddenly on the compound.

The woman has been identified as SueArlen Andrews, who was the caretaker of one of the pupils attending the school.

According to an eyewitness, Andrews was present at the school at Kingstown Park to feed the student when she collapsed suddenly, hitting her head in the process.

“She (Andrews) was looking after her, making sure she was eating her lunch and stuff like that and at one time, I looked around and she was smiling with the little girl and then I just saw her fall back and she hit her head on the wall,” the eyewitness — a parent said.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that he was at the school to feed his daughter and he had just had a conversation with the deceased about the closure of schools because of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The parent said he ran over to her immediately and held her head up, as she was gasping for air.

“…My daughter came over and was asking ‘Daddy she dead? She dead?’ And the other little girl was just there…she was

in shock, she couldn’t even move. So I decided to put down her head and grab the two little kids, carry them over to the next class room and to call other people…for help. One of the, Prep 1 teachers, Mrs Bascombe and a parent, Mrs Kirby, came over and Mrs Kirby was checking for a pulse, then other parents and teachers came over, We did what we could,” he said.

The parent said an ambulance was called to the scene but Andrews appeared to be dead by the time it had arrived.

“Up to seconds before, the lady was smiling, she looked totally fine. There was nothing to suspect that that was going to happen. She looked totally fine,” he said. “I’m kind of worried for the children.

I believe they should get some kind of counselling, especially for that little girl…because she was just there in a state of shock.”