GEORGETOWN – The grief surrounding the tragic death of 16-year-old Jodea Seline deepened on Monday as a post-mortem examination confirmed the horrifying extent of the injuries she suffered in the fatal minibus accident that shattered the Corentyne community over the weekend.
Government Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Bridgemohan conducted the examination at Bailey’s Funeral Home in No. 4 Village, West Coast Berbice, with police officers and heartbroken family members standing by. The results were as devastating as the tragedy itself: multiple skull fractures, consistent with the violent crash along the No. 62 Public Road on Sunday, November 23, 2025.
The accident, described by investigators as one of the worst road tragedies in Berbice this year, occurred just after 18:00 hrs when a minibus transporting teachers and students from a sports event reportedly lost control. According to the preliminary police report, the 31-year-old teacher who was driving the bus swerved to avoid an animal—believed to be a horse—entering the roadway, causing the vehicle to topple and roll before landing on its side.
The impact injured 17 passengers, many of them schoolchildren. Jodea was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the No. 75 Regional Hospital, while several others were transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital in critical condition. The driver, Jerome Bernard, succumbed to his injuries the following day, becoming the second fatality.
For Jodea’s family, already grappling with unbearable loss, the post-mortem confirmation only amplified the reality of a life cut short in seconds. After the examination, her body was handed over to relatives as they prepare for a burial no parent ever imagines.
The police investigation into the horrific crash remains active, as the community mourns a young life filled with promise.
