分类： society

In the wake of a deadly July 10 plane crash near San Andros Airport that claimed all ten lives on board, furloughed staff from regional carrier Flamingo Air are scrambling to plot new career paths, as lingering questions about the airline’s ability to resume operations grow more urgent.

The Bahamas’ aviation regulator immediately suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate following the crash, putting 35 employees on indefinite unpaid leave pending the final outcome of the official investigation into the disaster. With no clear timeline for a resolution, workers have been forced to draw down personal savings to cover basic living expenses while waiting for official guidance from airline leadership.

Many are still waiting on promised unemployment support from the country’s National Insurance Board, with multiple employees confirming they have only just completed the required application paperwork and have yet to receive any financial assistance. One worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told local outlet The Tribune, “We haven’t received anything yet. We were just filling out forms and getting our documents.”

While the sudden suspension has left most employees in professional and financial limbo, some have reframed the uncertainty as an opportunity to pivot to new careers or pursue long-held entrepreneurial goals. One furloughed staff member noted, “I’m quite fine. I’ve actually been looking into avenues to do my own thing so I don’t know if this is the avenue here.”

Not all workers have been able to secure alternative income, however. Another employee shared that she has yet to find a new role, adding, “We’re trying to figure out what’s going on.” Despite the lack of communication from Flamingo Air’s management in the weeks since the crash, many employees still hold out hope that the carrier will eventually be cleared to restart operations.

A new layer of controversy has emerged around the crash following revelations that Flamingo Air had been linked to at least 14 publicly recorded safety incidents and accidents over the previous 20 years, long before the July 10 disaster. Energy, Utilities and Aviation Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis has previously acknowledged that regulators have not yet explained why the airline’s operating certificate was not suspended years earlier, given its long track record of safety issues.

Aviation authorities have committed to releasing a preliminary investigative report on the crash no later than August 10, a document that will shape both the future of Flamingo Air and the fates of its 35 out-of-work employees.

A landmark medical negligence ruling from the Bahamas Supreme Court has held Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) legally responsible for the 2022 death of a newborn baby girl, finding critical gaps in maternal and foetal monitoring during a 27-minute wait for an emergency caesarean section directly caused the infant’s fatal injury.

Acting Justice Raynard Rigby KC delivered the judgment last week in a wrongful death claim brought by Widline Guillaume, whose daughter Elizabeth Lundy died just two hours after birth on August 2, 2022. The ruling followed a three-day bench trial in June that pitted competing expert testimony against one another, debating whether the newborn died from undiagnosed congenital heart disease or preventable oxygen deprivation.

Guillaume first arrived at PMH’s public maternity ward late on August 1, 2022, at 39 weeks and three days gestation, after reporting regular contractions and abdominal cramping. She began active pushing at approximately 2:05 a.m., with initial assessments conducted by Dr. Azaria Clare around 3:30 a.m. Lead obstetrician Dr. Agatha Foulkes-Mackey arrived shortly before 4 a.m., and the medical team quickly determined a caesarean section was necessary after labour stalled.

By 4:10 a.m., Guillaume had reached the entrance to the operating theatre, but a mandatory COVID-19 test requirement delayed her admittance until 4:37 a.m. The test result was finalized at 5:10 a.m., the surgical incision was made five minutes later, and Elizabeth was delivered alive at 5:20 a.m. Justice Rigby explicitly cleared the medical team of unreasonable delay in scheduling or executing the emergency procedure, noting Dr. Clare and Dr. Foulkes-Mackey acted promptly to move Guillaume toward surgery. But he drew a clear line between the timeliness of the procedure itself and the complete lack of monitoring during the 27-minute waiting period.

Prior to the decision to order an emergency caesarean, cardiotocography readings had already recorded a T1 deceleration in the foetus’s heart rate, a clear indicator of early foetal distress that required ongoing continuous monitoring. Despite this, no medical staff recorded any data on Elizabeth’s condition between 4:10 a.m. and 4:37 a.m. Justice Rigby rejected the defence’s argument that limited hospital resources left no handheld monitoring devices available for use during the wait, calling the explanation unconvincing and legally inadequate. He emphasized that the need for an emergency caesarean alone created a binding obligation on the hospital to maintain consistent monitoring of both mother and child, even while waiting for test results. Additional evidence from a prenatal ultrasound two months prior to delivery had shown no foetal abnormalities, with normal amniotic fluid levels and healthy foetal movement and function.

After birth, Elizabeth received relatively healthy Apgar scores of seven and eight at the one-minute and five-minute checks, respectively. But her condition declined rapidly while being transported from the operating theatre: nursing records document that she grew pale, developed cyanosis (a blue-gray discoloration of the skin caused by oxygen deprivation) in her face, hands and feet, and required urgent transfer to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Despite immediate resuscitation efforts including chest compressions, the newborn died later that same morning.

In his ruling, Justice Rigby repeatedly criticized gaps in the evidence presented by the defence. No staff members involved in post-delivery care testified to explain the rapid deterioration of Elizabeth’s condition, and no detailed records of post-birth monitoring were entered into the court record. Most notably, an autopsy was never performed to confirm the cause of death, a step both expert witnesses agreed would have clarified the fatal outcome. Defence expert Dr. Paul Ward argued Elizabeth’s death was the result of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect, but claimant expert Dr. Carlos Athlestan Chase testified the death stemmed from perinatal asphyxia, or oxygen deprivation, consistent with the cause of death listed on the infant’s death certificate.

Justice Rigby ultimately sided with the claimant’s expert, noting Guillaume’s prenatal records showed no indication of a congenital heart condition, and all prior cardiovascular screenings were normal. He concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, the 27-minute gap in monitoring caused the fatal oxygen deprivation that killed Elizabeth.

The ruling also pointed to broader procedural failures in the case: key clinical guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which were widely discussed during the trial, were never formally entered into evidence. PMH’s official COVID-19 testing protocols for surgical patients, which directly caused the waiting period that led to the monitoring gap, were also not produced for the court. Justice Rigby further criticized both parties for failing to pursue mediation or out-of-court settlement before proceeding to trial, noting the amended claim for only $10,950 in special damages (covering medical fees, medication, and funeral costs) was not excessive, and the case was well-suited for alternative dispute resolution. “This case is an ideal one for mediation,” the judge wrote. “A qualified mediator would more likely have led the parties to a sensible compromise.”

Moving forward, the Supreme Court has ordered that total damages owed to Guillaume be assessed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court, and ruled that the hospital and Dr. Foulkes-Mackey will be responsible for covering Guillaume’s legal costs if the two sides cannot agree on a final damage amount.

Robert Dupuch Carron, who served as deputy chairman of the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) at the time of the incident, called the outcome a tragedy, saying he was deeply distressed that the case took as long as it did to reach a resolution. He added that he has confidence in the current PHA board leadership to address systemic gaps in care and implement changes to reduce the risk of similar preventable deaths in the future.

A shocking viral video capturing a bullying incident at CH Reeves has ended in an extraordinary show of forgiveness, bringing two feuding teenagers together in a shared summer youth employment program after a coordinated intervention by local advocacy groups, law enforcement, and both boys’ families.

The widely circulated clip, which spread rapidly across social media platforms in recent days, showed a 13-year-old student surrounded by a crowd of peers who pressured another teen to assault him. Rather than engaging in the confrontation, the targeted teen refused to fight and eventually fled the group. The footage sparked widespread public outrage, but it also spurred Khandi Gibson, founder and president of the Bahamas-based advocacy organization Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), to step in before the conflict escalated into further harm.

“I was disturbed about the video, and I asked if anybody knew this young man’s parents to please have them reach out to me because I would like to personally get him ready for school,” Gibson explained in an interview. “We have other people who saw the video and didn’t do anything. But God just tell me, ‘Man, I have to step in. I can’t be seeing something like that and don’t intervene.’”

After members of the public shared contact information with Gibson, she connected with Genal Bodie, the targeted teen’s mother, on a Saturday night and met the entire family the very next morning. She offered Bodie’s son a spot in one of FOAM’s two annual summer youth programs: a skill-building summer camp with classes in math, English, arts and crafts, gardening, and educational field trips, or the “Our Community Matters” junior workforce program, which provides hands-on work experience for young people. The teen opted for the workforce placement.

Hours later, the father of the teen identified as the aggressor reached out to Gibson to seek a peaceful resolution. Gibson proposed a joint conflict-resolution meeting at the Grove Police Station, with senior officers agreeing to host and support the discussion. On the day of the meeting, something unexpected happened: the 13-year-old bullying victim asked Gibson to give his alleged aggressor a spot in the same workforce program he had just joined.

Gibson recalled the moment with awe: “The funniest thing about it is, the little boy who was actually getting bullied — and he still called him his friend — he said ‘Ms Gibson, you can’t give my friend a job where I work at FOAM too?’ I am saying to myself, this boy just [had someone try] fight him and he had to break off running and he asking for a job for him.”

Gibson granted the request, and both boys started work at FOAM’s headquarters the same day. Their daily tasks include answering incoming phone calls, greeting office visitors, and supporting other administrative and operational tasks. Through the program, both teens earn a weekly stipend and receive free daily lunch, in addition to building foundational professional skills.

Gibson says the pair have already put their prior conflict behind them. “You should see those two working together today. They’re like nothing ever happened,” she said.

The outcome offers a powerful lesson in the capacity of young people to extend forgiveness even in the wake of harm, Gibson noted, echoing a religious framing to emphasize the moment: “I said that’s why the Bible tells us, unless we become as these little ones, we can’t enter the kingdom of God, because little children are forgiving.”

Gibson extended public gratitude to the Grove Police Station’s senior leadership team, led by Chief Superintendent Christlyn Skippings, for their collaboration in facilitating the mediation. Moving forward, police plan to identify the other teens who appear in the viral video and organize a separate roundtable discussion with their families to address the incident and prevent future conflict.

Gibson says she hopes this community-centered intervention will serve as a replicable model for addressing youth conflict across the region, proving that early, collaborative action can stop disputes from escalating into serious violence. “Let’s start the trend somewhere,” she said.