The Entrepôt Secondary School community gathered on Monday morning, not for a regular assembly, but to offer prayer, hope and support to two students recovering from serious injuries after a road accident.
Pastors and priests from different churches joined students and staff for a special prayer session for Form Five student Tatiyanna Innocent and Form One student Jeanquan Jn Pierre.
Since the accident, Jeanquan has had his foot amputated.
The two students were among three pedestrians hit during the crash in Cas En Bas on Friday, September 18.
Police say the crash happened around 4:50 p.m. and involved four vehicles. A white Toyota Hilux and a black Mitsubishi Lancer, driving in opposite directions, reportedly collided, then hit two parked construction vehicles.
Tatiyanna and Jeanquan were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Principal Arthur Scott said both students have now been moved from the Intensive Care Unit to a general ward.
Their classmates have found the news hard to take in.
“Our students are impacted by that,” Scott said. “Some of them are really in reflection mode. It could have been them.”
Counsellors from different parts of the island came to the school to help students cope.
Scott said visits to the injured students will stay limited because some of their wounds are still open and need to be kept safe from infection. Still, he assured them the school community fully supports them.
“They know that we are there with them, and we are trying our best to make sure that they get the necessary support that is needed at this time,” he said.
The principal also appealed to the public to support the students and their families during what is expected to be a difficult recovery.
“The calls, the well wishes, the support in any way that can help to make their lives easier will go a long way towards things being better for them,” Scott said.
Former students and other well-wishers have already begun offering assistance, including donating water and nutritional drinks. The school also plans to establish an online fundraising campaign to help meet the students’ medical and recovery needs.
“The children truly need a lot of help in getting back on their feet and living normal lives,” Scott said.
He also urged everyone to be more careful on Saint Lucia’s roads and called for better ways to keep students safe on their way to and from school.
“We have to be looking out for each other,” he said. “We need to be a more caring society.”
