SIXTY-four-year-old Brian Aubrey Anthony Devine, who survived the New Year’s Day fatal accident that claimed the life of his 61-year-old friend George Barker on Cemetery Road, Georgetown, has displayed incredible strength and resilience in his desperate battle to survive.Having since been a patient at the Surgical Ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), where, ironically, about one week ago, he overcame the odds, just as he was preparing for discharge, he suddenly discovered that most of his old pains had returned.

Devine, who had gone to buy newspapers that morning, was lucky to survive the accident, but has suffered multiple life threatening injuries, including the following: compound fractures to his right leg; head and spinal injuries; injuries to his left side jaw and rib-cage; and bleeding from his left ear and left eye.

He has had blood transfusion; had temporarily lost vision in his left eye; and was administered oxygen, having experienced difficulty breathing.

Doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) have waged an unrelenting battle to save Devine’s life. Within the first few weeks of his admittance, though having lost much weight, he had begun showing positive signs of recovery, and his condition was stabilised.

Now he has developed swelling and pains in some of the previously affected areas, including his right leg; right ulna (elbow joint); his left eye, and almost unbearable pains in the back, jaws and shoulder. His discharge has been deferred, and he remains warded at the institution.

It is worth noting that Devine has been lying inactive for ten weeks clear, and because of the nature of his injuries, has never been able to get out of bed or even sit up.

Against this most unfortunate circumstance, he is deeply appreciative of the care and attention being provided him particularly by his doctors and nurses; and by the cleaners, his relatives, hospital prayer-warriors, and of course his room mates, who would normally be on the lookout for him.

On that ill-fated morning of the accident, as the two men waited to buy newspapers at the stand, an out-of-control car proceeding at a fast rate first hit a speed hump before demolishing a fruit stand and rocketing towards the two men. The now dead Barker impulsively pushed Devine out of the way, but got trapped under the car and was pronounced dead moments later.