A tight-knit Trinidadian community is grappling with unspeakable loss after seven-year-old Angelica Saydee Jogie lost her life in a jet ski collision during a family vacation in Tobago last Wednesday. In the days following the tragedy, relatives gathered at the Jogie family’s Barrackpore home to hold an overnight wake for the young girl, whose sudden death has sent ripples of shock and heartbreak across the entire neighborhood. For Angelica’s loved ones, the tragedy has permanently altered the fabric of their family life.
When local newspaper the Trinidad Express visited the quiet residential community on the day after the accident, family members struggled to hold back tears as they shared memories of the bright, beloved child. Two relatives, who requested anonymity to grieve privately, spoke of the joy Angelica brought to every person she met, a warmth that makes her passing even harder to accept. One relative said, “This incident has already changed the life of our family forever. Every day from now on, we will carry this grief. Life will never be the same again.” Another added, “This hurt cuts so deep that words cannot capture the pain I feel. All I know is I would never wish this suffering on any other family.”
Out of their pain, the family is calling for urgent changes to water safety regulations in Tobago’s recreational coastal areas. They say the current system of marking boundaries between swimmer zones and jet ski routes with just a rope is woefully inadequate, putting all beachgoers in unnecessary danger. “A rope is not enough to protect bathers from high-speed jet skis; that is just putting lives at risk,” one relative explained. “We are calling on authorities to either designate a separate, secured area for jet ski operations or ban them entirely from popular swimming beaches. We need action, so no other family has to go through what we are suffering right now.”
Steven Paul, cousin of Angelica’s father Arnold Jogie, shared that Angelica’s parents were deeply attentive and protective parents, who never let their children out of their sight near water. “The day before the accident, I spoke to Arnold, and he told me he always stayed right beside his kids,” Paul recalled. “The children were never more than an arm’s length away from him, and they only ever entered the water when he was with them. Both parents are so careful with their children.” Paul, who still says he struggles to process the news, added that the entire village has rallied around the grieving family. “When I got the call about Angelica, I started shaking, physically and mentally. I’m still trembling just talking about it now. The whole village is in shock. Since the night the accident happened, we’ve been gathered here to support each other and honor this innocent little girl.”
In the wake of the accident, Angelica’s father was hospitalized, and relatives say they are holding out hope he will be able to return home to the community soon to grieve with his loved ones. As the family makes arrangements to bring Angelica home for her final services, relatives say they are focusing on lifting each other up, preparing for what they know will be an emotionally devastating homecoming. For the Barrackpore community, the loss of the young girl has left a permanent void that will never be filled.