Samuel Haynes Institute Sued Over Little Girl’s Injuries From Falling Gate

Four-year-old Brenae Timmons was seriously injured on January twenty-ninth when a wrought-iron gate fell on top of her while playing in the compound at the Samuel Haynes Institute.  The incident left the toddler comatose for two weeks, suffering from severe injuries to the brain.  Baby Brenae was reportedly struck in the head when the unhinged gate suddenly collapsed on her.  In the months following the mishap, the infant has undergone numerous rounds of therapy and her recovery has been slow but steady.  Her mother who has been by her side ever since the accident is tonight without a job, having been terminated from her post at the Belize Red Cross.  The events of that fateful day have prompted the Timmons family to file a civil suit against various agencies, including the Ministry of Human Development and the Samuel Haynes Institute.  According to attorney Kareem Musa, the ordeal has been financially and emotionally difficult and the family is now seeking redress in the Supreme Court.

Kareem Musa

Kareem Musa, Attorney for Timmons Family

“On the twenty-ninth of January of this year, 2016, a very tragic accident took place at the Samuel Haynes Institute on Mahogany Street.  As you are aware, young Brenae Timmons, she was only three-years-old at the time, she was inside the yard at the Samuel Haynes Institute and the huge, monstrous metal gate fell on top of her, directly on top of her skull.  She suffered severe head and brain injuries and had to undergo several operations as a result of the injury she sustained.  We are taking out an action against several entities that we find to be responsible for this accident.  It includes the Ministry of Human Development, they are the first defendants because from the information we have received it is that ministry that paid for the construction of this fence and the iron metal gate to be installed.  We are also taking action against the Samuel Haynes Institute because in law there is a thing known as occupiers liability.  Being the owner of the property you have to ensure that the assets of that company, whether it is the building or whether it’s the fence, everything is not deteriorated or in a deteriorated state as the case with this fence.  In this instance the fence was poorly built, the installation, it was poorly installed and so we are also suing the third defendant who is Mr. Brian Espat.  We are informed that he was the contractor who actually constructed and installed this iron metal gate.  From the instruction we received, this iron metal gate had several defects to it and it is one of those sliding gates and it actually derailed, fell off the rail and fell on top of Brenae Timmons that evening.  And so the action is one for damages, we are suing for damages because of the injuries that Brenae suffered, it has had a long and lasting effect on her, not only psychologically but also in terms of mobility and her balance.  She suffers with chronic headaches and she suffers with imbalance now.  There are several side effects as a result of these injuries.  She has even had to do a surgery on her eyes because of the brain injuries causing strabismus, it caused strabismus to the eyes and there had to be corrective surgery on Brenae for that.”