KINGSTON, Jamaica — A humanitarian crisis unfolds in Westmoreland as a Jamaican family races against time to secure a US$55,000 medical evacuation for Dacia Forrester, who suffered catastrophic burns after being set ablaze during a violent confrontation at a gas station last Thursday. The alleged perpetrator, pump attendant Collate Swaby, now faces criminal charges of assault occasioning bodily harm.
Carol Blackwood Hewitt, Forrester’s distraught sister, has launched impassioned appeals to both local and international communities for urgent financial assistance. With her sister’s condition deteriorating in a local medical facility, Blackwood Hewitt emphasizes that specialized burn treatment available in the United States represents Forrester’s only hope for survival. Despite reaching out to governmental agencies including the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and cultural official Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, the family has yet to receive the promised institutional support.
Fundraising efforts led by the Burn Foundation of Jamaica and Crisis Support Charity have thus far gathered approximately US$7,000 through a GoFundMe campaign—a fraction of the required amount. Luke Josephs, co-founder of these organizations, stressed the critical nature of the situation: ‘Severe burn injuries demand immediate, specialized care and every hour matters. We are acting swiftly in the interest of preserving life.’
The judicial aftermath continues to develop as police prepare case files for three women, including one of Forrester’s sisters who remains in custody. The complexity of the incident involves alleged reciprocal violence during the altercation, with authorities awaiting the Director of Public Prosecutions’ decision on additional charges.