By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A CHILD who died when a swing set collapsed at a Freeport playground had to be taken to hospital in his mother’s car because of the delay in an ambulance arriving.  

Doctors at Rand Memorial Hospital tried to resuscitate six-year-old Vernal “Zion” Williams but were unsuccessful.

“The doctor said his heart had stopped, and they were trying to get it back, but they couldn’t. So, yeah, he just gone,” said his mother, Cardia Williams.

Mrs Williams discovered the tragedy when she arrived at the Caring Hands Academy with her son’s lunch.

“The secretary came running, saying the ambulance was all the way in Eight Mile Rock,” said Mrs Williams.

“We had to take him in my car. I was too shocked. The teacher was driving, and the administrator held him on his side in her arms in the back seat.”

She criticised the lack of emergency response. “We’re supposed to be the second city, and we couldn’t get an ambulance out there,” she said. “Something ain’t right about that. Especially with a situation like that, first responders may have known how to better handle him.”

Mrs Williams also said the swing set should have been inspected regularly and secured properly, adding that the tragedy might have been avoided with proper safety checks.

Police said the accident happened shortly after 11am. Zion, a fraternal twin, had been enrolled at the school for about six months.

“He was always into his own thing, always happy, very playful,” his mother said. “Sometimes he liked to stay to himself, but overall, he was a very happy kid.”

The Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training said it was “deeply saddened upon learning of the tragic death of the six-year-old student” and has launched a preliminary investigation through its Pre-school Unit and the Preschool and Daycare Council. Police inquiries are ongoing.

Mrs Williams said the family is struggling to cope while trying to stay strong for Zion’s twin brother. “We are trying our best, but we ain’t doing too good, to be honest,” she said. “My husband is trying to be strong, but he has broken down many times. We have to be okay for his brother.”

The family has been buoyed by support. “We’ve had a lot of calls from people we don’t even know and acquaintances. People have been reaching out to assist us with funeral arrangements,” Mrs Williams said.

When The Tribune visited Caring Hands Academy, the principal described the incident as “very sad”.

The ambulance shortage has been a recurring concern this year. In April, The Tribune reported that only three ambulances were functioning in New Providence, with emergency workers warning some high-priority calls were taking up to 45 minutes. 

By June, just two were operational, a situation former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands called “unacceptable”, especially for life-threatening emergencies. 

In September, a Long Island woman fighting for her life had to be carried to an air ambulance on the back of a flatbed truck in the rain, sparking outrage that ambulances on the island remained parked and unused.

EMTs have also raised alarms about the inadequacy of some newly acquired vehicles.