Schoolboy dies after being thrown out of car

JOSHUA  ATWELL, a six-year-old schoolboy who was thrown out of the car in which his father was driving at North Post Road, Diego Martin on Wednesday, died on Friday at the St Clair Nursing Home. An autopsy carried out on Friday by Dr Neville Jankey revealed that death was due to haemorrhaging of the lung and Cerebral Hypoxia (swelling of the brain).

Atwell will be buried on Tuesday following a funeral service at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Chow Quan Avenue, Diego Martin.
Yesterday, Paul Atwell, the grieving father  said that he did not wish to say anything about the death of his son. His eighth month pregnant wife stood at his side in silence. Police reports revealed that around 7 am on Wednesday, Paul Atwell was driving his car along North Post Road with Joshua seated in the back seat. He was taking his son to the home of his maternal grandparents to take a bath in preparation for school because of water problems where the Atwells live.

According to reports, on reaching about 200 yards from his home, Atwell began experiencing mechanical problems with his car. The vehicle went out of control and Atwell tried to negotiate his car back onto the roadway. He failed to do so and the runaway car hit an embankment and flipped on its hood causing Joshua to be thrown out of the vehicle. The boy was rushed to the St Clair Nursing home where he was treated and warded. Tests by doctors revealed that one of the lungs was punctured and it was removed. The second lung was only one eighth functional with blood being accumulated in it. This condition caused swelling of the brain which resulted in the death of Joshua early Friday.

Doctors at the St Clair Nursing Home had pledged to bear the full cost of the expenses incurred by the Atwell family during the stay of the child there. They were also making arrangements to carry out emergency surgery when the child died. A party of police officers led by Cpl Dhanraj Narine from the West End Police Station went to the scene and carried out enquiries. Police are treating the death as accidental but they are calling on motorists to ensure that persons seated in vehicles make use of seatbelts. They added that seat belts do save lives.