AS they lay in their cream and gold caskets under the newly constructed home which they laboured with their mother to build at Phillipi Village, Corentyne, Berbice, teenage sisters Tabitha La Toya Bagot and Malika Waneta Bagot, together with their three-year-old niece Shamaine, were each adorned in bridal apparel, seemingly dressed for an occasion that would never be, as their lives were snuffed out prematurely by the reckless actions of an allegedly drunken driver.

The three female victims of the Corentyne highway motor accident succumbed almost immediately after the driver of the silver coloured Toyota Spacio motor car, PPP 5842, slammed into them moments after they had exited a village shop at Phillipi, where they had intended to purchase phone cards to telephone their United States based mother, Angela Bagot.

Despite their horrific and untimely deaths, Pastor Egbert Bagot, conveying at the funeral service, extended the proverbial olive branch to the family of Naresh Persaud, and publicly asked Angela Bagot to forgive the accused man, “although what he did was wrong”.

“Let bygones be bygones. Let peace and love be the message,” Pastor Bagot emphasised as he thumped the lectern at the makeshift church under the home of the deceased, where hundreds braved the rising temperatures to get a last glimpse of the girls, whose only reason for being on the road that fateful evening was to purchase a phone card to call their mother who, just two weeks before, had migrated to the United States of America.

Expressions of gratitude were extended to President Donald Ramotar, along with other ministers, members of the parliamentary Opposition, regional officials, and a host of other persons who “did not just walk the walk but talked the talk in tangible ways”.

Pastor Bagot’s twin brother, Pastor Ewart Bagot, who was also officiating at the service, warned the congregation not to blame anyone for the triple-tragedy.

“Fingers will be pointing in various directions, but before you point, take a look at yourself,” he cautioned.

Since the incident, the man of the cloth observed, a pedestrian crossing has been painted a short distance from the Bagot’s home, an act which he had hoped for, for a long time. And while he is pleased with the road safety sign, he has expressed displeasure over a newspaper report which indicated that the parents of the deceased were threatening the parents of the accused drunken driver.

“That is untrue. Our family motto is ‘Peace and Love is the message’. I don’t know who gave that report,” he disclosed.

At their home-going service last Friday, testimonies of hard work were echoed by many speakers, as some recounted stories of the teenage girls who would ride to neighbouring villages along the Corentyne coastline to sell homemade cakes made by their mother. The proceeds from their efforts resulted in a wooden and concrete edifice being erected, which the Bagots now call home.

But while they had accomplished one aspect of their dream, there was much more to be accomplished, Opposition Leader Mr. David Granger observed.

“They never had a chance to walk in the Rupununi Savannahs…hardly started to live. They should have looked forward to having an education, getting married…hardly had the opportunity to leave the village of Phillipi,” Granger lamented.

However, while the retired Brigadier noted that death was not unique to the Corentyne Coast, he recounted the many accidents which spanned the coastline over the past decade, and urged villagers not to allow the death of the girls to be another statistic, but instead something that should alert Government representatives to install “more lights…. more effective law enforcement….”

Regional Chairman David Armogan, expressing condolences on behalf of the Government, recalled the incident two weeks ago, which forced a once peaceful village to be thrown in deep mourning.

“An act of ignorance…. Act reprehensible by a young man who did not know what he was doing…. The act in this closely knit community has moved villagers to a point of tears, as three children who had a promise…all dreams and aspirations shattered.

“From the information I received, these girls worked with their mother who baked and sold cakes in their community to build their house…. The circumstances in which they were called away were devastating. No one imagined that when they left home to do some purchases they would not be returning…….”

And Mr. Patrick Findlay, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Human Services, encouraged the bereaved to find comfort in God, who never forsakes anyone.

Following the girls’ deaths, Government Pathologist Dr. Vivikanand Brijmohan had revealed that three-year-old Shamaine Cort died as a result of a broken neck.
Her aunts, Tabitha and Wanita Bagot, succumbed as a result of multiple injuries. Most of their bones were broken.

(By Jeune Bailey Vankeric)