Man claims he was deliberately hit by van driver on crossing

A pedestrian who was struck by a minivan while attempting to cross the road at Mahogany Square, Richmond Hill, says that he will be seeking compensation for an injury he sustained during the mishap.

Sion Hill resident Kesroy King said that last Friday, April 15, he was going home {{more}}from work and attempted to use the crossing close to the bus stop at Mahogany Square, when he was “deliberately struck by a blue minivan.”

Explaining what happened, King said that when he arrived at the crossing he saw a man and a woman crossing the road and began to cross with them. He said that he did not see a police officer at the time.

“The lady saw the van and ran across and the man run cross, and I look over and saw the van coming and I watch the driver directly in he face and the driver watch me right in my face, so now I expecting the driver to stop, but same time I crossing I feel the lash in me ribs and the mirror broke off and the steel that was holding it catch me in me ribs,” said King.

He said that after the driver realized that the mirror had broken off, he came out of the van, using expletives and demanding payment for the broken mirror.

“Same time I see the police further down by the tennis court. I wasn’t aware of the police at the time of the accident, and the police come and ask wah happen and I say, ‘officer he knock me down right on the crossing’, and the driver start curse me, and the police said he was going to arrest me for jaywalking,” recalled King.

He said that he questioned the officer about jaywalking, as to his knowledge, he was not jaywalking, but attempting to cross, using the pedestrian crossing.

“When the man hit me right on the crossing, people telling the officer the man hit me on the crossing and people coming out the van stating that they think the driver would stop because it was a good while he was coming down and he was not speeding; he hit me for spite, he did it on purpose,” stressed King.

King said that the situation escalated even further when the driver’s brother and father alighted from two other public transports they were driving and began threatening him.

“The driver standing over me with he hand raise like he going slap me, the brother with a big stone raise like he going burst my head; and the father trying to pull something out he waist, while the police holding me,” said King, who added that he asked the officer why he was holding him and not the aggressors.

“The police call another police and they take measurement,” said King, who noted that the police officers sent him to make a report. He said that he will do an x-ray to accompany his police report, as he is adamant that the driver must pay for knocking him down.

“I can’t leave that so, I have to get justice. Other van men were passing and threatening the police, and one even tell the police he have to pay back for the $60, because he think the police was giving the driver of the van who knocked me down a ticket.

Another driver gave him thumbs up for hitting me… I filing a report. I want compensation for my injury,” said King, who is a landscaper.

On Monday, Head of the Traffic Department Superintendent Kenneth John said that the matter was under investigation. He also stressed that there is no law pertaining to jaywalking in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Superintendent John, however, noted that the police is asking all pedestrians and motorists to exercise caution on the roads as the department does not want a repeat of the statistics as it relates to road fatalities last year.