Senior Multimedia Reporter
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“I need justice.”
As he struggled to hold back tears yesterday, Jubal Basrally recalled how he watched his 65-year-old mother, Jameela Basrally, bleed to death in his arms after suffering a cracked skull in a traffic accident in Marabella on Tuesday.
A post-mortem done at the San Fernando Mortuary revealed she suffered from cranial haemorrhaging and multiple injuries consistent with a vehicular accident.
While her death cut deep, Basrally said reliving the moment on social media was haunting him.
“I saw my mother die in front of my eyes. She bled out in my hands,” he said outside the San Fernando General Hospital.
“Her skull was cracked open. She bled through her nose and her mouth. She bled out in about 30 seconds. Nobody helped. I need justice.”
Police said Jameela Basrally, of Soledad Road West, Claxton Bay, died after she was struck by a panel van along the Southern Main Road near Market Street.
According to investigators, the 51-year-old driver swerved in an attempt to avoid colliding with another vehicle before hitting Basrally, who was walking near the roadway.
Although police reported that she was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, her son insisted his mother died at the scene.
“She did not die in the hospital. She died on the spot,” he said.
Basrally said he, his mother and his 17-year-old niece had gone to buy doubles before the accident.
As they attempted to cross the road, he said his mother was almost on the pavement when the collision occurred.
“One foot was on the pavement and the next was on the road,” he recalled.
“The panel van and another vehicle came into the street at the same time. The driver swerved and hit my mother.”
Still bearing traces of his mother’s blood on his hands, Basrally said the images continue to haunt him.
“I can’t sleep. I can’t breathe right now,” he said.
He also criticised bystanders who recorded videos instead of assisting.
“Nobody was helping except one old lady,” he said. “Everybody else had a camera. Social media is not the game. Everybody wants likes.”
Videos of the aftermath circulated widely on social media on Tuesday. Basrally pleaded with users to stop sharing footage of his mother’s final moments.
“Why put my mother on social media? Please let her rest,” he begged.”
He also appealed for the return of his mother’s identification card, which he believes was lost in the confusion following the collision.
“Whoever has her ID card, I would like it back, please,” he said.
Basrally said his father is still recovering from triple bypass surgery, making the loss even more devastating for the family.
“My father hasn’t even healed yet,” he said.
His mother, he added, would have celebrated her 66th birthday on September 2.
Describing her as someone who loved animals and took pride in caring for her home, Basrally said her death has left an irreplaceable void.
He said he intends to pursue legal action after his mother’s funeral and is calling on the company that owns the panel van to contact him.
“I need justice. Nothing else but justice,” he said.
Basrally also urged motorists to exercise greater caution in busy commercial areas.
“That is a slow street where pedestrians are always crossing. Drivers are not supposed to be speeding there,” he said.
Marabella police are continuing investigations into the fatal accident.
