Nearly three months after a bus crash left five dead, a 12-year-old passenger lies on a hospital bed near death, still unconscious and unable to help herself.
Twelve-year-old Kaci Ferguson, a student at the Lime Tree Bottom Primary School was on the ill fated minibus that crashed near Laughlands, Friday, May 27.
Five people were killed and several wounded.
Kaci suffered fractures to her shoulder, her facial bones, her eye sockets and apparent damage to her brain.
Kaci Ferguson is the only one remaining in hospital and has been unconscious the whole time. She has undergone at least five surgeries, including one to remove her skull to allow space to a swelling brain. That skull has to be replaced with another operation not done yet.
Kaci’s aunt, Paula Jones, with whom she lived in the Brown’s Town area for sometime, says she believes the doctors and surgeons have done everything and what’s needed now is divine intervention. Ms Jones says she believes there will be a miracle and Kaci will get up and walk again and testify to the power of God.
GOING TO SCHOOL
Kaci, who had gone to live with her mother at Seville Heights, was still registered at Lime Bottom near Brown’s Town where she had earlier lived with her aunt. On the morning of May 27, she took the bus at Priory and was reportedly the last person taken on before the Ocho Rios to Brown’s Town bus crashed at Laughlands on the Llandovery Main Road.
It has since been reported that the bus, owned by a policewoman was not licensed or insured and that the conductor of the bus was driving at the time and he did not have a driver’s license.
The Times has already reported that no claim made by relatives of those killed or injured will be honoured by any insurance company.
Within hours of the crash Kaci was stabilized at St Ann’s Bay Hospital and then taken to a facility in Ocho Rios for x-rays as the hospital’s machines have been down for sometime. The girl was soon moved to the University Hospital of the West Indies, into intensive care unit (ICU) though no bed was there for her initially.
EYES OPENED
For the early part of her illness her eyes were closed though now they are open. However, she does not appear to be seeing anything, or at least is not responsive to motion.
Also, she was initially on life support, but was taken off. She is still in a vegetative state, unable to control any bodily function and unable to do anything.
After several surgeries at UHWI she was returned to St Ann’s Bay Hospital on July 15.
Ms Jones who regularly goes to see Kaci says “She is getting the best care in the human realm…it’s only God who can make the difference.”
Ms Jones says she got the impression that some medics believed the girl would not be alive after all those surgeries and would become a vegetable though no one has said so directly.
She said the costs of medication, disposable diapers and incontinence pads was very high. She said the family had been facing heavy bills on the medication in addition to the cost of the diapers for the girl who can’t help herself.
She said if anyone including the suppliers or manufacturers felt like helping, especially the diapers and incontinence pads or sheets would be highly appreciated.
“I still have hope and faith that Kaci will one day get up and walk out of there,” said Mrs Jones.
