accident - Haiti Observer Blog

It has been reported that a truck overturned last Saturday and many people were killed as a result. The crash took place in the town of Roseaux, east of Jeremie, Haiti.

The bus has plunged off a cliff in the coastal city of Roseaux. Report indicated that the truck was packed with people. 23 have been reported dead. Another 24 were injured, some seriously. About 50 vendors were riding inside the truck. Most of people in that overturned truck are from the town of d'Anse d'Hainault.

As it has been the case in the past, the passengers were crammed inside the vehicle surrounded by products.

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During a world tour, which included a stop in Haiti, Julia Morley, CEO of the Miss World pageant, sustained a serious injury while visiting a children's orphanage in Port-au-Prince.

Accompanying Meagan Young, Miss World of 2013, Morley visited a classroom located on the second floor of a makeshift building, erected after the 2010 earthquake destroyed the old one. The children's excitement overtook them, when they saw Miss World in her tiara. They suddenly surged toward her, causing the floor to give way. Morley and one of the young boys crashed through the floor, falling eight to ten feet before hitting the ground level. Debris rained down on them after they landed. Morley broke her hip and the boy suffered a leg fracture. Miss World, who was able to land on her feet, and the rest of the children were unharmed, or suffered only minor cuts and bruises.

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This accident was not good for Miss World 2013 winner Megan Young and Miss World Chairman Julia Morley during their visit in Haiti as they fell about 8 to 10 feet when the floor of the temporary building's second story collapsed.

However, it looked even worst for the organizers who were unable to provide at least a safe stand for an international celebrity like Miss World 2013 winner Megan Young.

It was reported that as a result of the building collapsing, Julia Morley and one of the children, Jonathan, suffered fractures. Miss World Megan Young and the other children at the stage escaped unhurt.

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This is what I saw in the newspaper this morning. A group of movers and shakers in the helicopter EMS industry has introduced a new air medical service for Haiti. The Haiti Air Ambulance (HAA)

Haiti Air Ambulance, a not-for-profit foundation will launch Haiti's first permanent helicopter EMS program.

They expect to provide life-saving emergency services to all Haitians regardless of income.

According to the information, this new service is supposed to alleviate Haiti's dire emergency medical needs.

Haiti Air Ambulance, a not-for-profit foundation will launch Haiti's first permanent helicopter EMS program.

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While India may have cause to celebrate, having finally addressed some of the safety issues of their airplanes they may now be removed from the United Nations aviation watchdog blacklist, 12 other countries, including Haiti, have been included on its list of nations with a bad air safety oversight record.

The 13 nation list was put together with Haiti, Congo, Guinea, Angola, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Lebanon, Kazakhstan and Djibouti listed among its offenders. Following in India's lead should also secure Haiti a bump off the list, an advent that would bode well for the country's tourism hopes.

What India did was to correct the concerns raised about its ability to manage properly the general operations and airworthiness of its crafts after the audit completed by the Icao (International Civil Aviation Organization of the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation). The DGCA then furnished the Icao with a plan set to be implemented in June 2013, aimed at correcting all listed oversights. The status of the corrective plan was verified recently by the team from the Icao and then the DGCA was briefed on the findings.

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On Sunday February 17, 2013 while navigating a corner on a road in the Dominican Republic, Dr. Daniel Mathurin suffered injuries from a car crash that would later claim his life. In the wake of this tragic loss of one of Haiti's most venerated scientists, his achievements in research and geophysics, including his speculations on the wealth of tangible and intangible resources to be found in Haiti, is cast back into the forefront of public awareness.

Extensive work he carried out with the wife he has succeeded, shows that Haiti is rich with hydrocarbons. Together, they had also discovered 20 oil sites in the country, five of which they described as being of great importance in the realms of oil speculation and politics. It is research that has led some to question whether or not the 2010 earthquake which all but leveled Haiti and left over 300,000 dead was not caused by clandestine drilling by foreign governments or entities.

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The current rate of road accidents in Haiti has worried officials and organizations. According to the Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations (POHDH), at least two accidents occur on national roads every week. These accidents have been blamed on several causes, including overspeeding and drivers' negligence. There are also drivers who take the road even under the influence of alcohol, as well as those who overload and lose control of their vehicles. The poor condition of roads and the lack of proper road signs are also among the main causes of such accidents.

Given this, the POHDH urged the authorities to strictly implement road regulations involving traffic governance, road codes and vehicle inspections. POHDH official Antonal Mortime said that many accidents "could have been avoided" if the authorities have been ensuring that road standards and safety regulations are met.

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According to news just received, there has been a major truck accident on Friday, January 25, 2013 in Haiti. A truck coming from Bainet in direction to Anse-à-Foleur lost control and overturned in a canal. More than 50 people were on the truck.

It has been reported that 22 passengers who were in a truck carrying pilgrims have lost their lives and another 30 had been injured. The Haitian authorities expect the death toll to increase as several of the those injured were critical and will likely not make it alive.

According to police, the truck that was traveling to near the town of Saint-Marc, about some 100km north of the capital, fell into a canal. Many of the victims drowned following the truck accident, some died crushed by the truck.

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Despite fear being universal in all human beings, some individuals could actually lack the sense of fear in a given situation.

Yes, fear is beneficial in identifying danger and preparing for it, but what if one does not feel fear despite the danger?

The absence of fear is characterized by one's neglect of any risks that could happen when faced with a dangerous situation. This is solely situational of course, depending on the individual and the factors at hand. When it comes to motherly instinct in animals for example, a mother fearlessly fights off a predator much bigger and stronger than she is when the life of her offspring is threatened. This is also the case for human beings when children are involved.

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The National Police of Haiti has received tools that can help it prevent road accidents. Ambassador of France in Haiti Didier Le Bret handed over a set of speed radars and breathalyzers to the police. The devices are expected to help in the police's efforts to curb down the number of road accidents in the country.

The turnover was made at a ceremony that marked the end of a two-week road safety training conducted by gendarmes and the United Nations Police. During the training, Haitian officials were taught how to properly use the speed radars and breathalyzers which can help the authorities nab people driving under the influence of alcohol.

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