Tuesday February 9th, 2010
- Last update:7 hours 56 min ago
Man dies after jumping in front of bus
...Magistrate: Cops could have saved him
Published: 4 Nov 2009
The PTSC bus which killed Anthony Alexander after he threw himself in the pathway of the vehicle in Barataria, yesterday.
Officers of the Barataria Police Station have come under fire by a judicial officer after a 46-year-old mentally unstable man was knocked down and killed along the Priority Bus Route yesterday morning at 5.10 am.
Anthony Alexander, of Seventh Street, Barataria, was killed instantly after he was struck by a Public Transport Services Corporation (PTSC) bus. The driver of the vehicle told police he was proceeding east along the bus route, near the Sixth Avenue traffic lights, in Barataria, when the victim reportedly jumped in the pathway of the bus. Alexander, an out-patient of the St Ann’s Mental Hospital, was thrown several feet along the roadway and died at the scene. There were no passengers in the vehicle at the time of the incident. However, a magistrate has criticised the police for not providing adequate protection to the victim.
The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said she was proceeding west along the bus route when the victim jumped in front of her vehicle. “I almost collided with a marked police vehicle which was heading in the opposite direction, after I attempted to avoid hitting him (Alexander),” she said. She said she told one of her relatives in the vehicle to call the Barataria Police Station and report what had happened. The magistrate said: “I think the police failed him. They did not execute their job as one would expect them to and I am deeply saddened to know that he died, since based on all appearances, the police did nothing to save him from himself.” Officers at the Barataria Police Station confirmed they received several reports Alexander had thrown himself in the pathway of oncoming vehicles. The judicial officer said there were options available to the officers when dealing with mentally-ill persons.
She said the victim could have been arrested and charged with attempting to commit suicide or placed in the care of the St Ann’s Hospital for treatment. In an immediate response, Head of the North Eastern Division, Snr Supt Theophillus Cummings, and Ag Supt Stephen Ramsubhag said an investigation would be immediately launched to determine if there was negligence on the part of any of the officers. “We will investigate the allegations and once there is sufficient evidence which indicates there was negligence, the officers who were on duty when the report was made will be dealt with,” Ramsubhag said yesterday. Sgt Lemessy of the Barataria Police Station is investigating the incident.
If the Magistrate had so
If the Magistrate had so much feelings for the madman then she should go around the country and pick up all and house them in her home. Most people are aware of the fact that "mentally unstable" people run away from mental institutions to return to the streets. Human rights lawyers deny sane people the right to comfortable living by claiming that vagrants have rights too. I see this as one less madman to stink up the sidewalks, dig in garbage, threaten and harass pedestrians, some people are so out of touch with reality, maybe if the magistrate had to stand on the side of the road and await transport on a daily basis she would sing a different tune
Your comments were very sad
Your comments were very sad and unfortunate, and quite frankly distasteful. I hope it is not representative of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Also the magistrate simply pointed out a failing on the part of the responsible police officers who ignored this specific problem with this individual.
The health system needs to be reformed to ensure continuity of care and support for mental health patients across organisational and social boundaries.
People suffering from mental health issues are not criminals,rejects or animals, they are just another person, a human being with an illness that requires the appropriate care and treatment.
They received the reports
They received the reports and did nothing? This was clearly going to end in an accident, and a smaller vehicle could have swerved and collided with oncoming traffic potentially resulting in the driver's death, and definitely ending in expense to private citizens and to insurance companies. Why did they do nothing? Life means nothing anymore?
And the comment above sadly shows the attitude to mental health in this country. St Ann's is woefully inadequate and the support systems non-existent. This man with proper treatment could have led a normal life with medication and therapy. If he was fortunate enough to be living in a developed country.
Madame Magistrate, with due
Madame Magistrate, with due respect to you I think that you probably live on Mars.
First of all, "Flip", the well known Barataria madman, was a total nuisance to people in the area as he was very disrespectful to everyone. He even used to masturbate as women, children and even the police passed by, and thought nothing of using the most vulgar language.
While this story was more about the magistrate being peeved at the police, I think that the Guardian was just trying to fill space today. You see, most people cross the roads in a very dangerous and careless manner, some even uttering to motorists: "Bonks me nah...", as if cars end up in the hospital or dead.
http://dsaltsman.blogspot.com/
Your reference to the
Your reference to the mentally ill person in Barataria being a menace to society is an example of the failure of the police service, social service and the health service in dealing with this problem.
The magistrate isn't the bad person in this article, in fact I think she should be commended for pointing out a failure in the system.
I thought I was the only one
I thought I was the only one who saw this man as a threat to society.
You people need to understand something, mental people in this country have more "human rights" than the average citizen, they can assault a person and get away with it because of their mental state. Do you guys remember the young lady who was hit in the face and lost an eye a few months aback? Where is her attacker. These people are kept in facilities which cannot be locked because it encroaches on their "freedom" and attempts by the State to gather them up and isolate them have been met with opposition by people who seem to enjoy the stench and mess they create. In Arima, there are ones who walk around with big sticks threatening to hit people, others curse and fight. You people are always quick to blame the authorities but what about their families who receive monthly grants and still put them on the street. There are rehab facilities but some prefer to rummage thru people's trash and sleep on cold concrete......
Lemme go do the people work eh....later
I frequent the Barataria/San
I frequent the Barataria/San Juan area and there are a lot of unstable and mentally ill people roaming the streets. I know this guy. Its still very sad to see a human being lose their life, regardless of the circumstances and I pray for this person's soul.
How often we ordinary people call the police for assistance, only to be given one lame excuse after the other. I think that the police is desensitised to the vagrancy/mentally unstable problem that exist within Trinidad and Tobago. "Its always someone else problem". "Call the Ministry of Social Development". "Check with St Ann's Hospital".
I migrated to the USA
I migrated to the USA twenty-two years ago to live and work, with the ultimate intention of returning to T&T someday to spend the remainder of my life. After reading the unkind comments of some of the bloggers I feel downright ashamed to be a Trinidadian. It is a sad reflection upon the current mentality of the people of the country, and indeed upon the universal truth "You cannot go home." This is certainly not the country which I knew when I left it.
Mental illness, just as any illness, can affict anyone at any time, even those people (and their relatives)who are writing such unkind, harsh and inconsiderate comments about the unstable man who threw himself in front of an oncoming bus. It makes me understand how young people, and even older ones would have no compunction about throwing gasoline or acid upon a homeless person sleeping on a park bench, and walk away without even the slightest twinge of guilt.
It makes me understand why such heinous crimes are being committed on a daily basis and no one really cares, from members of the government to members of the general public. To the caring magistrate I say, kudos to you for showing that some people who live in T&T still care about those who happen to be less fortunate than they.
You live in the USA, if what
You live in the USA, if what 5 people said is a reflection of a nation then you must be warlord, right?
Your generalization is just as stupid as their comments
While it is sad and
While it is sad and disturbing that this incident occured ... why is it we always looking for someone to blame when things happen.
It is strange all these people would pass but no one would take time out of their busy schedules to stop and ask the man what was troubling him.....
We continue on and expect somone else to do so.... saying its not our job... but where is the love for our fellow man.....
Additionally did anyone take the time to figure out the expanse of time between the first report and the actual time the man was hit by the bus. So before we jump to say police did nothing or the man was failed by the authorities..... lets study.
Mr. Anthony Alexander, a
Mr. Anthony Alexander, a mentally challenged man was an out-patient of St. Ann's Mental Hospital. In his state of instability he found himself in front of a bus and was killed.
From these facts, we are left to ask why was it necessary for this idividual who appears to have been in dire need of in-house care allowed out on the streets where he was unable to care for himself. We have to ask why those of us in need of essential services such as this man are not receiving the professional services and attention we should have during our desperate times of need. We do not 'will' ourselves to become 'mentally challenged'. I am certain that by no fault of ours we become ill and need to be cared for others, and in this case our mental health services should have been there for this man. To be an out-patient our professional health care would have determined that he was indeed fit to move among the 'well' citizens, and not housed in the mental health hospital. So the reality of what our system tells us and what we find out on our own appears to be disconnected. Somewhere between both, Anthony Alexander was caught and had to face his death.
We hear a lot of talk about moving us to First World Status by 2020, and we would really like to believe the rhetoric coming from those in authority. Unfortunately, we are not seeing substantive proof that we are indeed moving forward. We have been stagnant for so long that we are at the point where we have to decide whether we should hold on much longer, or look for some loopholes to keep us with our hopes in tact.
The magistrate was within her right to question the professionalism of the Police Personel in coming to the aid of Mr. Alexander.
Many of us who have all our faculties in tact, and have all the resources available to us, tend to look the other way when we are dealing with persons who are 'mentally challenged'. We blame the individual for their 'out-of-control' behaviour, of which they have no handle, instead of questioning the shortcoming of the systems that we have in place.
Gardenia
While we all may be sorry
While we all may be sorry for the death of this man, who from all accounts had some serious "mental issues", let us not be too quick to blame the authorities for their "lack of compassion" or for "not keeping this man safe from himself". Speaking as one who has dealt with a relative for almost 10 years, who has mental issues, I can assure you that it is not easy to get them help, even in a so-called "developed country."
Firstly, they (the ill person) must recognize the fact that they have an illness and that they need help. As an adult, no one can "force" them to seek treatment or take their meds even after being diagnosed and prescribed medications. If they do not seek help or take their meds, the law will only get involved with them if they are a threat to themselves or to others. In other words, if they do not "disturb the peace" or threaten anyone else, law enforcement's hands are tied and they will tell you so.
I am not sure of the laws of TnT on dealing with people with mental conditions, but I know it is not a matter to be taken lightly as you watch a loved one detoriate into the depths of mental illness.
As they say: there for the grace of God, go I; as it could be you or someone close to you who could be afflicted with one of the myriad of mental diseases that are possible.