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Waini river tragedy…Mom hopes inquest into children’s death will bring justice
From her Port Kaituma, Region One home, a partially paralyzed woman, Ophelia James is hoping that justice will finally be served, now that an inquest has been ordered into the horrific boat accident last year in the Waini River that caused her to lose her two children.
Seven-year-old Lisa and her six-year-old brother, Davenand Da Silva were senselessly killed by a reckless boat operator on August 25, last.
The accident has also caused James to lose movement from her left shoulder down to her arm and as a result, she is unable to care for herself.
“I want justice. My children died and I never hear back anything about the story until recently when someone called and tell me about the inquest,” the woman said in tears.
James is still trying to cope with her life following the accident. She had to move from her family’s home in Mabaruma where her husband, Basil Da Silva is still living because the memories there were too much for her to handle.
She and her husband communicate on the phone and when he earns extra money from selling fish, he visits her in Port Kaituma then returns home to work.
Both Basil and his wife have admitted that their new lives have been very hard for them to cope with, but they have no choice.
In Port Kaituma, James’ daughter takes care of her while Basil cooks and does everything for himself in Mabaruma.
The two children were travelling home from a fishing trip in a wooden boat with their parents, Basil Da Silva and his wife along with their 16-year-old brother, Dwayne, when another vessel slammed into them from behind and continued on its way.
It was at this exact moment that little Lisa and Davenand lost their lives while their mother suffered a broken left shoulder.
While the survivors did not see the persons in the boat, they recognized the vessel by its name.
Immediately following the accident, residents in the area reported that they saw the owner of the vessel, painting it over.
Mother: Ophelia James
Kaieteur News understands that the police had arrested the boat owner but he was subsequently released because of a lack of evidence.
Recalling what transpired on August 25, last, the woman said that it was around 20:30hrs and they were returning home from a fishing trip further up the river.
It was pitch black, and Dwayne and his mother held a torch light at the front of the vessel, while Basil Da Silva was at the back of the boat holding another torch and steering.
The family was chatitng and laughing and even reflecting on their outing, when suddenly, something struck the 51-year-old man off the boat.
“I didn’t see anything, so I thought it was a branch hit me off the boat. I fall into the water and when I float up back, I was a good way from the boat. I managed to swim to land and I shouted for my wife and tell her to keep them children safe,” Da Silva said.
He sustained a gash to the head and lost consciousness. When he regained his senses, his wife shouted from a distance and told him another boat had struck theirs.
The fisherman was clutching to a branch and was unable to see his family in the darkness, so he could not go to their assistance.
Meanwhile, in the boat, the children’s mother remembered telling them to stop crying and reassuring them that they would be safe.
Dead: 7-year-old Lisa and her 6-year-old brother, Davenand Da Silva
“When my husband fell off the boat, my son shined the light and we see the name of the boat and we see when the three people in it duck,” Ophelia recalled.
She also said that the rope on their boat became entangled in the engine of the suspects’ vessel but the occupants slashed the rope and drove away.
“If only they had stopped and help, my children could have been saved. They would have been alive,” the mother said before bursting into tears.
She recalled that the suspects’ vessel struck her on her left shoulder, rendering her completely helpless.
“My son was bailing out the water and he said that it taking in too much and the boat going down too fast.”
Eventually, the boat leaned to one side, and she fell into the river.
Despite her injury, the 47-year-old woman managed to turn on one side and held onto a can until she managed to grab a branch.
“While I hold onto a branch, I holler for my son and tell he save the children and he say, ‘mommy, they gone down.’ I didn’t know what to do or say. My son come and then his father swim and come to us.”
According to the devastated woman, it took more than two hours before help arrived. The rescuers took them to the Mabaruma Hospital after which she was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
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