BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AFTER hearing about the tragic traffic accident, he shed no tears. It seemed as if he was forewarned of his son’s death and had prepared himself for the inevitable.
Joseph Wyatt was in bed at his Cleverly Hill, Sandy Point home at approximately 10:45 on the evening of October 8, 2010 and was slowly drifting into slumber when he got a call every parent dreads receiving.
“I got a telephone call telling me that there was an accident over the hill and that people died. So I jumped up and jumped into my vehicle. When got there I heard that it was those boys for Labo. Then I started hearing that Damian is one. So I called his cell phone number and it was just ringing and no answer. I called my other son to make sure it was not him in the accident. Then I called my son who was at home and told him to call Damian's number, and he called me back and told me that he wasn’t getting any answer.”
His son, 23-year-old Damian Harris, along with three other Sandy Pointers, 32-year-old Dexter James, 22-year-old Lasinto Bradshaw and 23-year-old Maurice Rawlins, were travelling in a motorcar on their way home when the vehicle collided with a tree which sits at the front of J’s Place. While James, Harris and Bradshaw were flung from the vehicle, Rawlins had to be removed by members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Services Department. All were pronounced dead by District Medical Officer Dr. Akin Oduntan.
Wyatt, proprietor of Quick Bargain (electronic store), said the rumours and his suspicions were not confirmed until he saw his son’s feet protruding from beneath the cloth which covered his body.
“…I stayed there and I looked on and I kept hearing more and more that Damian was one who died in the crash. Then I happened to get a peep over and I saw the bodies on the ground. I saw a foot and I know Damian had some long feet with some long toes and I recognised his feet and I knew that was him.”
The saddened, yet composed, father indicated that although he knew it was necessary to confirm or refute the rumours, he suspected that his son was involved because of a dream he earlier had.
“When they were saying that Damian is one, I was saying to myself, ‘I wouldn’t doubt it’, because Friday morning I had a dream. My father passed away two years ago and in the dream, my father was alive and he passed away. And in the dream I was saying, ‘My father passed away and I have to go and bury him!’ So when I heard that talk...before I saw him on the ground, I sort of accepted that it was him, because of the dream. So now I have to go and bury my son.”
Damian celebrated his 23rd birthday on March 19, 2010, and his father said that his helpful nature is one of the characteristics which would always resonate in his memory.
“He was a quiet person…always smiling. If he did anything wrong or he made any mistakes, you could talk to him and he would understand and try to better himself. When he saw that I was doing something, he would come and assist me without me asking. At other times when I am supposed to do something, he would begin doing it before I could go and do it.”
The night before the accident occurred, Damian and his father caught a glimpse of each other and exchanged greetings in passing; not knowing that it would be their last. About two Sunday’s prior, Damian – who lived down the road from his father’s home, spent the day there, communing with family members.
“He had a very good relationship with his siblings. Two of his other brothers were here and they were remembering the conversations they had up to (last) week. But to see that he is no longer here to fulfill what they were discussing, leaves a void not only in our home, but also within our hearts, ” Wyatt expressed.
Wyatt said his family is deeply saddened and distraught by the loss, but noted that he is able to cope with the situation because “I am a person who looks at life and sees that things would come. But why get upset when tomorrow would bring a brighter day? So even though I miss him, I have to look towards tomorrow.”
Damian’s 11 brothers and sisters are among the lot left to mourn his loss.
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