Lukeisha Clarke, who is currently six months pregnant, remains hospitalised more than a month after she and a friend, Althea McPherson, both sustained burns about their bodies after they were shocked by a livewire that was shot by a policeman.
Clarke, 21, is still a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) Burn Care Unit and her family is calling for justice to be served as there is fear of a “cover-up” to prevent the policeman responsible from facing charges.
Clarke, who is pregnant with her first child, sustained second and third degree burns to her hands, legs and back, while McPherson, 31, was treated for her burns and discharged after the early morning incident on October 10.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised that a charge of discharging a loaded firearm with intent be laid against the police officer who had fired shots in the air and severed the power cable that fell on two women and caused them to sustain burns about their bodies.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had said the accused policeman was kept under close arrest.
Contacted yesterday for an update on the matter, ‘D’ Division Commander Stephen Mansell said he could only say that investigations are ongoing.
However, Clarke’s mother voiced her concerns about the way the matter is being treated and vowed to take every possible step to ensure her daughter receives justice. According to the woman, since the incident Clarke has remained in the Burn Care Unit and may even be there to deliver her first child since she hasn’t been showing signs of improvement.
The woman noted that Clarke has already undergone two surgeries and is due to undergo two more after she obtains some three pints of blood, since her blood count is currently very low. The surgeries are for the grafting of skin to repair the burns she sustained to her back.
Apart from this, the mother said she is disappointed that the policeman has not been charged as yet and she is sensing that a cover-up is afoot. Since the incident, she said, she has not even been approached and offered any form of compensation, leaving her with the belief that the matter has already been forgotten.
On a weekly basis, she said, she has to find $7,000 for travel in addition to funds for other necessities required because of Clarke’s admission to the hospital. The owner of the Good Times bar, located across the street from where the women were burnt, has since opened a bank account in Clarke’s name and made a $30,000 contribution.
Meanwhile, McPherson said since the incident she has unable to do anything on her own and has to be taken care of by her sister. She sustained burns to her feet.
McPherson had in formed Stabroek News that she was standing opposite the Good Times bar, located near her home at Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, when she saw Clarke at her stall, which she operates in the vicinity. It was while they were standing together that McPherson said she heard loud explosions like gunshots but she wasn’t sure of the source. She added that she started to panic and shouted to Clarke to run when she saw the cable overhead on fire. They ran but the cable fell and entangled them. Persons rushed to render assistance to the women but had difficulty since the severed wire was sparking. The two woman were left unconscious on the roadway for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, because of the difficulty in untangling them, before being rushed to the hospital.
