Teen dies following head injury

Initial reports circulating last week indicated that 16-year-old Sherwin Poleon of the Anse Ger Secondary School fell to the ground after a motorcycle rode by. Other reports stated that Poleon was carrying a metal object in his hand when he accidentally fell to the ground causing the object to pierce the parietal region of his brain. The official police report states that Poleon was walking along the Anse Ger road on Wednesday afternoon when he slipped and fell onto the road. The report confirmed that Poleon was carrying a metal object which was lodged in his head.
However, the STAR spoke with the Sherlyn Duncan who expressed much disappointment with some media houses and the police in their attempt to disseminate accurate information about the incident. She says initially, witnesses reported seeing a motorcycle passing by and then noticed her brother on the ground. But that story changed she says after persistent questioning—and praying, as she puts it—for the truth to surface. Duncan says her brother’s friends were questioned thoroughly by her church members and eventually their story on what transpired changed from a motorcycle hitting Poleon to a metal being lodged in his brain upon falling to the ground to finally, to a friend throwing something at him.
“Up until today, the story remains unclear but the initial report we got was that my brother fell and was unconscious. Then the other story we got was that he was hit by a moving vehicle and then the last story still remains unclear whether he was hurt by an object or if it was accidental.
“On the very day when he was taken to the hospital, we were asked by the doctors to get ready to go for a CT scan. That we did on the day in question. Upon return, the CT scan was reviewed by his doctor, which is Dr Richard Burt who wasn’t confident but still shared his opinion that the object lodged in my brother’s brain resembled a pellet or bullet. I asked him again to be sure what it was but he wasn’t sure. I thought perhaps it may have been a piece of a bone that got broken upon falling. Dr Burt asked me to look at it clearly to see what shape it was in the cranium but still, I wasn’t sure either,” said Duncan.
At this point, Duncan was trying to hide an emotional outburst but controlled it by breathing and speaking faster as she continued to give her account: “Afterwards, the police came by to say that when my brother fell, he was carrying a piece of metal or a piece of steel which went through his head and they brought it for us to see.
“But when the steel came, it was puzzling to me to see the size of the steel first of all. Secondly, I watch forensic investigative shows on TV and it was hard for me to understand that the injury my brother sustained was on the left side of his head and he is a right handed boy. So for him to be falling down onto the ground, I would expect him to let go of this thing and to catch the fall so this was not making any sense to me” she said.
Duncan says up until this interview the police have not returned for a report from doctors nor further details for the family. She says after calling many times to speak with the officer in charge and leaving many messages, no word has come out from the police with regard to the incident.
“We have not heard anything from the police since they came last week. No news, nothing. I’ve been calling them, left my number but no one has contacted me. The day they came with the metal, they were supposed to wait on the doctor who saw my brother but they were so impatient that they couldn’t wait. They left and I don’t think they ever came back because they were supposed to review the CT scan with the doctor.
“I don’t understand why they would put out information that is still unclear without even looking at the CT scan so that they could have a picture of what is lodged in my brother’s brain which would give them objective view of what happened.”
Duncan took the time out to thank the entire population of St Lucia who sent well wishes and empathized with her family. She particularly thanked the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches around the island for their support and immediate efforts in raising EC$40 000 to help her brother get treatment from overseas.
Over the weekend, Prayz FM helped mobilize churches on the island to raise funds to assist Poleon. Duncan says according to reports from Prayz FM’s General Manager, Cavelle Regis, individuals dropped off cheques, envelopes and made special offerings in churches on Saturday to assist the cause.
However, as the family made arrangements to get Poleon the treatment he desperately needed, a CT scan review from two doctors in Trinidad and Barbados both shared similar prognosis on the condition of the young boy.
“We had Dr Bird to send a copy of the CT scan to Barbados and Trinidad for an opinion before taking my brother for treatment overseas. They said that the extent of the damage is too great and the prognosis is poor. Even if they decided to operate on him, it will still be unsuccessful because the damage is very bad.
“So my family and all our church family have decided to wait on God to do what he sees best for my brother. We recognize that with man, things are impossible but with God all things are possible. So we will accept whatever the Lord decides. He is still in a coma but our family has been given the choice to either remove him off of the ventilator or to keep him there and we have decided to remove him and leave it all in the hands of God. They are probably extubating him right now,” said Duncan.
“My brother was a very loving boy. Whenever he was around, everyone would know that he was around. He was a troublesome boy in terms of being stubborn but he was a free spirit, he had a lot of energy. He was loved by many, very interactive and intelligent.”
No sooner had the STAR spoken with Sherlyn Duncan than the news came in of Poleon’s passing. A confirmed report from the family stated that Sherwin Poleon, one of Duncan’s twin brothers had succumbed to his injury at 3:35 pm just moments after he was extubated.
Reports indicate that the Micoud police station had one of the boy’s friends in custody assisting with their investigations but that person has since been released.
An autopsy has been scheduled for the body of Sherwin Poleon.