Public hearings into the Anse Cochon boat collision that claimed four lives on July 18, 2026 continued on Wednesday, with a second set of witnesses recounting their experiences on the night of the incident.
Among them was survivor Romean Williams, who said he had put on a life jacket just minutes before the collision, crediting his “guardian angel” for the decision to request one.
His testimony followed an opening day that brought admissions about missed safety precautions, questions over the vessels’ operation and conflicting accounts of the moments before impact.
For Williams, a passenger aboard Cazorla Jr, questioning centred partly on why he had requested a life jacket on the return trip after travelling without one earlier.
Unable to swim and fearful of the ocean, Williams said it was his first boat outing. He had boarded at the Soufrière waterfront around 4:30 p.m. for the journey to Pigeon Island, having decided to enjoy an evening out without driving.
He said he was neither offered a life jacket nor given a safety briefing. Asked why he had not requested a jacket before departure, he explained that he trusted the experience of those operating the vessel.
“The guys are not new to this, so I trusted them.”
The return journey began around 11 p.m., with Williams recalling choppier seas. He said the captain initially travelled at “a really good speed” before Pascal told him to “take it easy”.
About five minutes later, Williams decided to ask for a life jacket.
When commissioners asked whether anything specific had prompted that decision, Williams replied: “I’m a child of God. He spoke to me.”
Fellow passenger Taylor requested the jacket on his behalf. The boat stopped while he put it on, then continued towards Soufrière.
Williams estimated that between two and five minutes later, he was in the water.
He had not seen another vessel approaching because his head was lowered in prayer. The impact, he said, sounded “like a wave”.
“I realised my legs aren’t touching anything,” he recalled.
Williams said he began to panic before Taylor told him her leg was broken.
“I called out for help.”
Hippolyte swam to them and helped them reach what Williams described as “a piece of a boat”, where others had gathered. At that stage, he said, he had not realised another vessel was involved.
A rescue boat later took them to Canaries, where they waited for emergency personnel.
Williams told commissioners he had suffered no injuries.
