Ericka Franklin, the woman hit by a minibus on Sunday, April 30, in Castries, has succumbed.
Franklin’s mother, Margueritte Phulgence, also known as ‘Marlin’ said Erika died on Sunday at about 3:45 am.
The forty-seven-year-old had been in a coma since a minibus from the Cultural Center’s direction descended Barnard Hill in Castries and ended up hitting her instead of completing a right turn into the City.
Brake failure was blamed for the incident.
When tragedy struck, the mother revealed that Ericka was going on a boat ride.
She said Ericka was her only daughter.
“She was everything to me,” the distraught mother disclosed.
Headline photo Ericka Franklin
Terrible throw key and lock this driver away
Sigh. RIP. Hope this bus driver faces the full brunt of the law.
Was he under the influence of alcohol? or something else?
Just a reminder to do routine maintenance on your vehicle especially the bus drivers!!
How can one operate a Minibus with faulty Brakes or other faulty mechanism? the operator should be made to suffer the fullness of the subsequence, starting with imprisonment, the grieving mother should sue, hoping the minibus is Licensed, if not he owns property, so Sue. The incidence of failed brakes causing harm is not the first time; make them pay.
Hmmm I wonder if was church she was going to this would not have happened
Truly sad. May her death be not in vain. May all of us be reminded of how fragile this life is — and how much we must live life each day with the understanding that we could very well depart to meet our maker at any moment! I hope all of us realize this lady was just like you and me — not any less worthy of life! And as Jesus said when the tragic news of the untimely deaths of a group of people was brought to his attention: “Unless you repent, you shall just as suddenly perish”!
They don’t maintain their vehicles as they should . So brake failure and other mishaps are well known in those vehicles. In st lucia they uphold no law. They just pay the tax for the vehicle to run. It does not matter the condition of the vehicle government don’t care. plus the suppliers are sending regadek to st lucia and other islands cause they know there are no rules. Meanwhile people losing their life in those preventable road accidents.
Condolences to her family. TMH Lucian Highgrade… when it’s your time, it’s your time. What or where you planned to do or go becomes irrelevant.
all of yall on the bus driver case like as if yall are mechanics and were there and knows what transpired detail for detail. You do know that when you use your brakes and it gets too hot that it also will not hold? i am not saying this might be his case but anything could have happened. It could be the brakes or brakes system just happened to fail at the wrong place at the wrong time also things fail from the factory as well. Have you ever bought something and when you receive it there is a big flaw in it or it never works when you try it for the first time? which is why thy give warranty. If it was a brand new bus i wonder what yall would have said still if it was a brakes problem
I don’t always agree with HighGrade but your last comment is right on target
St.Lucia have to Highest percentage of InJustice at the Courts.This is a Very Sad Shituation to the Victims Love ones.CourtCases last Very Long at the Courts Criminal Cases.Civil Cases and Traffic Cases.The Fatal Accident at Gros.Islet where Three Kids lost their Lives on a Sunday Morning .This Case last 19Years at the Courts and the Parents was awarded a few Thousand Dollars for his Kids. Traffic cases (Fatal Accidents )Will last Forever after the Courts.
Most of these Bus Driver’s Purchase Cheap Brake pads .These Brake pads when Under pressure will not Stop the Vehicle .Causing the Hub and and Brake pads to Smoke and Discharge Heavy Asbestos Fumes Harzard to your Health
Wow…I never knew in this forum had so many private detectives and CSI investigators to know that the brake failure was a deliberate act by the bus driver!!! Sorry about your loss ma’am…may you find some divine strength in this this difficult time.
To save your life, always put your vehicle in 1st or 2nd gear when going down hill especially when driving an automatic vehicle. If you leave it in Drive, it just want to move at high compression and by engaging the brake system, it creates a lot and unnecessary friction between the rotors and the brake pads and depending on the during, and may cause the rotors to get red hot at which point the brakes will not hold. The red hot rotor is clearly visible at night. The lower the gear the less friction.If you have that experience, just allow the rotors to cool off sufficiently and your brakes will be restored. I am in no way insinuating that this was the case with the bus driver, because there are many other factors which can cause the brakes not to hold : faulty pads, rotors, master cylinder, brake booster, calipers. brake oil leakage etc.
I know its not easy for the mom and her only daughter .may God give her strength
People need to understand if the vehicle brakes give way this can happen to any one so I don’t see the need to bash the driver.my husband had an accident a few years ago and it was due to brakes failure and the day before he had just change his brakes so people stop bashing the driver.pray for the mother for strength and pray for the driver because it is now not easy for the mom.thank god my husband did not kill any one but people god hurt .I know there are drivers that don’t service their vans but stop bashing the drivers because we have some clean drivers and concern ones..do you think that a driver would want to kill someone.we need to pray for both parties the mom need prayers the driver need prayers.
People die everyday. It’s sad but it is true.
@idi amin
any body that is a real driver and note I said a “real driver” not someone that just knows how to start a vehicle and forget about everything else on the vehicle knows that when you put brand new brakes that it wont hold rapidly unless it is used over a period of time also when you put new pads and you use the brakes excessively especially going down a hill it will make smoke and after a few days of using it wont smoke again the smoke is not there all the time because of cheap brakes.