Glenn Smith carefully eased himself into a partial upright position to avoid pulling against his right leg affixed to his bed frame as he nursed a fractured hip at his Cauls Bottom residence and spoke about his plight.

Glenn “Ponka” Smith in his bed

“I could have been dead,” he told The Anguillian, still bearing a bright scar over his right eye and forehead. It is an indication of the head-on collision that smashed the car he was driving during the early hours of Saturday, February 23, and killed his friend and front-seat passenger, Nell Rogers, 44, of Stoney Ground.

Two days later, February 25, Glenn’s 46th birthday, he was still writhing in pain from the road accident, but thankful to be alive. A doctor at the Princess Alexandra Hospital had admitted him for treatment and advised that he should not walk around for twelve weeks to allow the healing process of his hip to continue. He later, however, opted to stay in bed in his own home where his wife, Margaret [a nursing aide], and the rest of his family, would take care of him.

Glenn, alias Ponka, who has a clear knowledge of the accident, which knocked his car off the Stoney Ground main road, and which differs to some extent from earlier reports, said it was a terrible experience when a jeep, travelling from an opposite direction, slammed into his vehicle.

“I am appealing to all motorists to be more careful on the roads and for Government and the police to do something about the situation,” he said. “People are getting in accidents in a manner that should not be, as some persons are driving for only themselves and not caring about others.”

He continued: “If a halt is not put to reckless driving, it will be a problem for all the time. There is a need to put more police officers on the streets and to give persons driving at great speeds a ticket with such a high fee that they will find it hard to pay. If they are just fined 300 or 500 dollars, which they can pay easily, they will continue to drive fast. The fee should be increased depending on how much the speed limit is exceeded.”

Glenn’s tragic accident is one of many occurring on Anguilla’s vastly-improved roads, with a frequency and severity worrying the Government, the police and the community and is consequently leading to stiffer legislation, now being drafted. One of the concerns is that it appears that some motorists are using the night-time hours to drive at excessive speeds, thus attracting the police who are hoping to address the situation.

“These persons think that the police are not patrolling the roads at nights and there are less vehicles around, but at times there are more traffic on the streets than one expects,” Glenn said. “Persons think they can drink and speed on the roads and get away with it, but they are causing accidents, injuries and death.”

He recalled that when the Stoney Ground and other roads were being reconstructed, and paved with asphalt workers, had predicted that: “A lot of fellows will get killed on the roads [or will hurt others] because they are driving too fast.” Glenn agrees and says: “There is a need to put back some speed bumps in certain areas especially in Stoney Ground where I got into the accident and where, as soon as some drivers clear the corner near Bryan’s Equipment, they speed up although there is a shop with many people and vehicles close by. There is a need for a speed bump over to the north by Bryan and another to the south approaching Leroy’s shop.

“Many times vehicles are seen racing everywhere on the roads for no reason. It is a serious problem in Anguilla and I am appealing for an end to it,” he stressed.

Reviewing his personal situation, Glenn told The Anguillian: “The doctor said I have 12 weeks before I can put my feet on the ground. He did not say how long I will be lying in bed, but I guess it would not be far from that period. I prefer to be at home. I told the doctor that with the situation I am in, it didn’t make sense for me to stay in the hospital when I did not know who will pay my bill, so I told him it is better that I stay at home watching television from my bed rather that doing so at the hospital. I might have been kept there longer, but was sent home.”

With house rent to pay and his family to support, Glenn regretted he is laid up for so long. “It amounts to [temporary] loss of job, income, time and lots of other things. I will not be able to work for a while,” he stated.

He usually works with Cleophas Gumbs, owner of Anguilla Native Stone, an indigenous thriving new business which cuts large boulders into attractive wall and floor tiles for the local construction industry. At the time of the accident, however, Glenn had taken off a period from his regular job to do something else.

“Now that I got into this accident I am not working anywhere at all. I can’t work until I get back on my feet and, as I said, that will take some time,” he added, while repeating: “I could have been dead but I am glad I am alive.”

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News