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Linden couple mourns death of eldest son on eve of wedding anniversary
Alicia Harlequin celebrated her birthday and wedding Anniversary on August 2nd.
Kasszel Harlequin
That day was to be a special one, so Alicia had left her Central Amelia’s Ward home the day before for Wismar, with her two children in tow. She was going to get her hair and nails done for the big day.
But her plans changed when her friend invited her to go along with her family for an outing at Buck Town, a popular Linden creek.
Alicia said she did not want to go, but her son Kasszel begged her and she eventually gave in to his pleas and subsequently agreed to go.
It was to be the worst decision of her life. Before nightfall Kasszel would be dead; he drowned at the creek.
And the Harlequins, instead of celebrating their wedding anniversary and Alicia’s birthday the following day, were mourning the loss of their son.
A distraught Alicia is exhorting parents to be ever vigilant, as it only takes split seconds for tragedy to strike.
“I was there with the children, and Kasszel was playing in the water, in the shallow part, and then I took my baby to dry her off because she was trembling, and in those split seconds, Kasszel disappeared. I don’t know what happened but he just disappeared.”
Harlequin said that persons at the scene immediately began to search and dive in the water for her son, but he was not recovered until about half an hour later.
“They were searching by the Koker but he was right nearby by some tyres. A boy was diving there and he said, ‘I feel like somebody touch me foot’- and that is where they pulled him up from,” the distraught mother told this newspaper.
After the lad’s body was pulled up frantic efforts to save his life were made.
A woman, who was on the scene, administered mouth to mouth resuscitation to Kasszel and he began to vomit, Mrs. Harlequin noted.
The child was then rushed to the Wismar Hospital, then later transferred to the Linden Hospital Complex, where he was pronounced dead soon after.
Kasszel Harlequin was only eight years old, and was the first of two children for Kerwin and Alicia Harlequin.
He was a Grade Two student of the Amelia’s Ward Primary School and his death came as a shock to many.
His Teacher Angela Joaquin described Kasszel as one of the most pleasant children in her class.
“This child was so nice, well behaved and always considerate. I never had a problem with him. And he was always bringing something for me. Every time his mother baked, he would ask her to send something for me. I just can’t believe that he is gone, and I’m terribly saddened by his passing. We will miss him terribly,” Joaquin said.
His grandmother Joan Harlequin, who was out of Linden at the time of the tragedy, reflected, “Kasszel was by us only a few days before, and he wanted to stay- but everybody had the flu, so I told him that he would come back later and would spend the week, because I didn’t want him to catch the flu. But is better I de let him stay. All I would’a had to do was pay a doctor bill. But now look what happen.”
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