The family of Andrez “Sackey” Forde is remembering the 30-year-old Marchand resident as a caring son, devoted father and pillar of his household, after the tragic road accident that took his life on Sunday.
Forde died when the vehicle he was driving went off the road and fell over a precipice at Au Ponche, Anse La Raye.
A woman who was in the car survived the crash but suffered serious injuries. She is still in the hospital and in stable condition.
On Monday at the crash site, Andre Forde struggled with his grief as he remembered the last hours he spent with his son.
“My son was very nice to me,” he said, recalling that Andrez had left home during the early hours after telling him he was going out.
Later, they had one of their final conversations.
“He called… to tell me, ‘Daddy, the key for the Creta is on the dresser’,” he recounted.
Andre said his son was respectful and compassionate, always looking out for his parents.
“My son was no bad person,” he said.
Asked what he would miss most, the emotional father replied, “Being there. We were like two brothers. He always talked to me… ‘Daddy, don’t worry, everything is safe, everything is alright. I will help you. You shouldn’t be working again’.”
Andre said he could not visit the crash site right after hearing about the accident and only went there the next day.
When he got to the hospital, Andre said an officer told him his son had already died from his injuries.
“He told me there he had no pulse, so he was already dead,” he said quietly.
Andre also said the injured woman had two broken legs and a broken arm.
The tragedy has been especially hard on the family, particularly Forde’s mother.
“My wife… she fainted,” Andre said, explaining that relatives had to come to support her as she struggled to cope with the loss.
Andrez is survived by a young daughter.
Another relative, Hadassa, recalled the moment she learned of Andrez’s death.
She said she awoke to frantic voices before later coming across a video circulating in a group chat. At first, she avoided opening group chats, but she eventually did and recognised her relative.
She said the family is still trying to come to terms with what happened.
Police are continuing to investigate the fatal crash.
