“Not because he’s a person with a disability, he deserves justice.”
This was said by Bernard Warner, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Persons with Disabilities. Speaking to Observer, he expressed his displeasure at the lack of justice for a member of the association, Kemoy George, who was badly injured in an apparent hit-and-run earlier this year.
“It’s about two months now he has been struck by the vehicle…He has gone to the police station, made a report and, for some reason, the police are unable to find the report,” Warner stated.
“From my understanding, he may, or could, lose one of his feet because of the injury.”
According to Warner, the matter was reported to police, however it has yet to be processed through the courts due to a police officer allegedly misplacing the report.
George is said to suffer from spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly.
“He has a form of disability that prevents him from walking from birth, spina bifida. When you get injured, it can be very, very life threatening. [He] is trying to get medical support as a result of his accident,” Warner explained.
Due to the seeming lack of progress with George’s case, Warner said the association will be taking an official recording from George and submitting it to the Commissioner of Police, Atlee Rodney.
“We’re going back today so we can get him to do an official recording. Then we are going to approach the Commissioner of Police to see if we can get the hierarchy of the police force to help in finding the report,” he stated.
Observer approached police spokesman Inspector Frankie Thomas for comment. Thomas said he would inquire into the matter.
Spina bifida occurs in the first month of pregnancy when a portion of the fetus’ spinal cord fails to close properly. As a result, the baby is born with a part of the spinal cord exposed.