TWENTY-year-old Joel Fowler, the gold miner injured in an all-terrain vehicular (ATV) accident at Port Kaituma on Monday, November 19 last, succumbed to his injuries last Thursday night at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Fowler, who remained unconscious and on life support in the Intensive Care Unit of the GPHC for 11 days until the time of his death, had sustained multiple life-threatening injuries, and died without saying a word to anyone.

On admission to hospital, he was rushed to theatre for emergency surgery, having suffered serious fractures to the crown of his head; and to his neck, head and face.

According to the doctor who had performed surgery on Fowler, even though medical staffers were doing their best for him, his condition had remained critical coming out of theatre. He never regained consciousness following the crash, but throughout the eleven days of his hospitalisation he was in a coma, could not breathe, and was on a ventilator.

His brain function had been severely reduced, and the pupils of his eyes had not been responding to light or stimuli.   

Three others aboard the ATV had escaped with minor injuries, and were treated at the Port Kaituma Hospital and sent home; but Fowler had borne the brunt of the injuries, and had to be medi-vacced.

Fowler, who hailed from Crane Village, West Coast Demerara, had only recently taken up the job of gold mining at Port Kaituma in the hinterland.  Relatives said he was eagerly looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays with his parents and other siblings at home.

He is survived by his mother, Claire Fowler, and father, Stephen Allen, formerly of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, and by siblings and other relatives.