On the left side of the road and right side of the law
another thing we take for granted in North America: if you have a driver’s license and proper insurance, when an accident really and truly isn’t your fault, you don’t have to pay.
unfortunately, students seem to be held responsible for an awful lot of things here that aren’t necessarily our fault. whether we’ve earned it with an irresponsible rowdy drinking reputation* in town or not, sometimes the word of a local just means more in court than anything a student can say to defend themselves. other MUA students have had to pay upwards of $15,000 EC ($5,500 US) out of their own pocket for “accidents” that may or may not have been their responsibility.
there isn’t a single traffic light on this entire island. and only one stop sign. but the biggest traffic law is also the most obvious: there is ONE main road that goes all the way around the island. if you’re on it, you have the right of way and the speed limit is 30 miles/hr. if you’re trying to get on it from one of the many side roads that trickle down from Mt. Nevis, you have to first yield right-of-way to the people that are already on it. ’nuff said.
two gentlemen smelling strongly of alcohol pulled out in front of Brandon’s unsuspecting vehicle shortly after 10 o’clock last night. he tried to swerve but was already so close, it was too late. he hit the other car hard enough to shatter both side windows and probably gave the passenger** the fright of his life. Brandon’s legs slammed into the steering column and his head hit the windshield hard enough to leave a bit of a goose egg, a sore neck, and painful jaw.
Brandon: red (right-of-way going east on the main road)
drunk guys: blue (pulling out from a side road with an open view of the main road)
of course i brought my camera when i got the phone call. unsure of local custom and not wanting to annoy the cop we were desperately trying to keep on our side, i waited until Brandon asked permission for us to take photos. the cop laughed and said “what do you think photos will help you with? what for?”
and then we were informed that since the other car belonged to the intoxicated man standing in front of us, we would have to ask him permission before taking any photos of his car. he obviously didn’t really answer when we asked, so i snapped anyway. pretending to take photos of only Brandon’s vehicle.
traffic accidents are resolved in one of two ways on Nevis:
1) one party takes responsibility at the scene. done. end of story.
or, 2) the case goes to court.
we are now waiting to hear when the court date will be scheduled and hoping it’s not on either an exam day or when he is back in the USA over break. Dean Turkewitz has recently been working hard with the local police department to ensure better and more fair treatment of students on the island. i really hope Brandon’s story turns into the First Ever MUA Student to Win a Court Case on Nevis.
all in all, Brandon is really lucky he didn’t get anything more than a sore jaw and neck. this was his very first accident. like, ever. the lesson has about a zillion other ways to be learned and most of them are much much worse.
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*and a lot of us certainly have NOT earned that reputation.
**the passenger in the other vehicle went to the hospital after everything was said and done, but was walking around (a little disoriented either from the accident or the alcohol on his breath) just fine.
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July 18th, 2008 at 6:27 am
The court should be interesting for sure. I will be interested to see how this progresses and turns out. I hope all the best for any students in this situation because it really sucks to be another country and at the mercy of their law.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Glad he was OK.
Court should be interesting, probably won’t allow the pictures.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:34 am
wow scary! But who is this Brandon guy and why would he be calling you?
July 18th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Arrggh! I’m glad all parties were not more seriously injured, although Brandon may have some whiplash injury that’ll need some physio hands. Was he wearing a seat belt?
From the Police’s attitude I’m presuming they don’t have breathalyzers there which would have helped in the court.
I’d say most of the accidents on these islands are alcohol-related unfortunately, and with the many single lane roads it’s very easy to lose concentration and end up in a peat bog or worse, into a rock face.
July 18th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
i’m glad to hear everyone ended up okay!
driving on nevis was fun but scary at times!
are there still potholes galore?
July 18th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Glad that Brandon is okay (most important part of the story).
But I’m baffled: is it not illegal to drink and drive on Nevis? Why wasn’t the driver of the other car taken in to the police station?
July 18th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
I hope your friend is alright. Nonetheless, students are guests on the island, and ought to respect local laws, and driving customs. In addition, having alcohol on one’s breath does not necessarily mean that the person is intoxicated. Unless a breathalyzer or blood alcohol were performed, there is no objective evidence to suggest that the other party was intoxicated.
In addition, students are easily among the most wreckless drivers on the island. They forget that they are guests sometimes, and simply ignore the rules and the laws. Honestly, goto Courtyard’s one night when a lot of students typically show up (e.g., Friday’s after block week’s, etc.) and simply count the number of “designated drivers” who aren’t intoxicated…try doing that in the United States or Canada..haha.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:24 am
I’m glad everyone is OK from the accident. I liked the way the police responded to Brandon when asked about taking pictures. That just goes to show that they already decided on the guilty party.
Also, I noticed that a lot of students who drive DO NOT wear seat belts!!! If you’re required to wear it in the USA/Canada, where they have better traffic controlling, what makes you think you shouldn’t wear them here!?
Anyway, just my 2c.
July 19th, 2008 at 6:21 am
omg…
Did Mr. Brandon get medical examination??
I hope he does not suffer from any long term injuries… physical OR mental…
July 19th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
This is in response to Langdon’s comment:
while I agree with what you’re saying for the most part, given the information provided by Jennifer, it is clear that Brandon was innocently driving along the main road, when someone else cut out in front of him from a side road. If they were intoxicated, that’s just icing on the cake, but they were clearly in the wrong.
Also, while med school students may be “guests” on the island, they are also residents of the island and have every right to be there. They also pay a pretty penny into the economy, and I highly doubt that a group of medical students are outrageous hooligans. I can’t help but think of all the “guests” in my country who come here, commit crimes, use and abuse our social service systems, and don’t contribute anything.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
RE: Sarah
Unfortunately, I have to respectfully disagree with what you said about students having “every right to be there”. They don’t. They’re guests. That’s like saying that someone visiting the United States has a right to be there – it doesn’t make sense, sorry.
Now, even if students are putting money into the local economy, that doesn’t mean they ought to gain some sort of rights for doing so. Business is business, especially in the Caribbean. Some students on the island are actually quite rowdy, and once again, I simply point to the post-exam week parties as clear evidence of that statement.
Finally, I have no doubt that the fellow was minding his own way. But on an island where you are a guest, and the law of the land is that “guests are always at fault”, I wouldn’t expect to be treated fairly, and that’s the unfortunate part of the whole situation. Good luck to Brandon.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Well I guess I can’t really comment on how the students act, and I can imagine that the locals don’t always appreciate the young people who come to their island for school, but I still don’t agree that they’re guests. Things like travel/work/school visas mean that they do in fact have the right to be there, and should be treated appropriately. Imagine if here in north america we had the attitude of “guests are always at fault”. The world would be turned upside down!
As far as gaining rights for putting money into the economy, that’s not what I meant. A person there shouldn’t have to “gain rights”. They should be afforded the same rights as everyone else on the island, and not be treated any differently.
July 10th, 2009 at 5:57 am
[...] but remember Brandon’s accident last July? and the initial verdict decided against him due to improperly filed police reports and a missing court summons? [...]