Sandy Ground woman
struck by car, loses life
MARIGOT--Marie-Philomene Mecharles, a 59-year-old Haitian resident of Sandy Ground, was killed instantly in the early hours of Tuesday morning when she was struck by a car while walking to church.
The incident occurred around 6:00am on the main road passing through Sandy Ground opposite the Nissan garage, when an identified white car containing two youths hit the lady. It was not clear in which direction the car had been heading. Witnesses said the driver had been driving at high speed and might have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Marie-Philomene Mecharles was a former employee of St. Martin’s Week where she worked as an office cleaner and distributor of the newspaper. She was not permanently employed, but took odd jobs here and there, neighbours said.
The lady’s distraught 17-year-old daughter Jessica identified the body on the street after a neighbour called with the news. Flowers were later placed at the accident spot.
The driver of the car remained on the scene until the Gendarmes and medical assistance arrived, but it appeared the victim had already succumbed to her injuries.
Family members, relatives and neighbours gathered at the house in Sandy Ground where Jessica, a final year student at the Lycée, lived alone with her mother before the accident. Three other older children in the family live in the USA and Haiti. Jessica said the Gendarmes would be contacting her, but it was not known how she would be cared for.
Gendarmerie spokesman Capitaine Stéphane Aurousseau confirmed the fatal accident had taken place and an investigation to determine its cause had been opened. The driver of the vehicle, a 24-year-old man from the Dominican Republic, was given a blood test to determine whether he was driving under the influence of alcohol. The result of this test, and whether all documents were in order, was not available by press time.
