PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic bronze medallist George Bovell III was moved to a private hospital ysterday after receiving stitches and suffering “moderate head injuries” following a vehicular accident.
Coach and Sports Minister Anil Roberts said the 28-year-old Bovell had been taken to the St Clair Medical on the outskirts of the capital, where he will be seen by a neurosurgeon. “The car is severely damaged, I saw some pictures of it, but what seems to have happened is that the brakes locked up and there was a collision,” Roberts said.
“He was able to lean to the passenger side which meant that the bulk of the impact his body was protected from it.
“He has severe lacerations to his forehead, which has been stitched up at the Sangre Grande District Hospital,” Roberts continued, adding that a CT scan had also been taken “and everything is cleared”
Roberts said they were awaiting the neurosurgeon “to give us a definitive response, but he is lucid, he is talking.
“He was unconscious for a short period of time and he did not remember the accident originally, but now he is remembering in great detail and he is speaking, he is alert and so we thank God that he is alright.”
Roberts explainedd that the accident had occurred while the swimmer was heading to Mayaro, south of here after a practice session and “thanked all the citizens who helped him.
“He is here at St Clair now awaiting the neurosurgeon and already he is talking about winning gold at Pan Am Games in October which is a good sign for me and for Trinidad and Tobago.
“It means that his brains are not really affected which was a concern earlier,” Roberts said, noting that “the stitches mean he will not be able to go into the pool for at least seven or eight days but he is already talking about it.
‘I am not in any rush, I want to make sure he is okay. The main fact that he is already focused on his main mission, which is to bring glory to Trinidad and Tobago gives me a sign that he is okay,” Roberts said on radio.
Bovell is a three-time Olympic swimmer who won the bronze medal in the men’s 200 meters at Athens 2004.
