Shock and pain over Harewood’s tragic end

Barbados has recorded its first road fatality for 2020 following a collision between a van and truck along the main road in Brereton, St Philip this morning.

Dead is Andrew Harewood of Fairview, Christ Church, a 49-year-old employee of the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC). Harewood was driving the company’s van when he collided with the truck driven by Tyrone Sobers, 48, of Farm Road Terrace, St Philip.

According to the police report, both vehicles were travelling along the road in opposite directions, when for some reason still under investigation, they collided head-on. Harewood died at the scene.

Two firetrucks had to be called and the Jaws of Life had to be used to remove the body from the wreckage. The other driver appeared unhurt.

Harewood’s co-workers and family members gathered at the scene, expressing disbelief at what had occurred.

Harewood was the last remaining of four brothers, all of whom died under very tragic circumstances in the last 13 years. In April 2018, his brothers Mark Harewood and Ricky Harewood perished in a fire in the wee hours of the morning. Andrew and his mother, Lucene Bishop, were asleep in a neighboring house when the blaze claimed the lives of the two men. In 2007, another sibling died in the mass tragedy at Joe’s River.

This morning, Harewood’s stepmother Yvette Mathias could not hold back the tears, telling Barbados TODAY that she had no idea how to break it to the deceased’s mother that all of her sons were now dead.

“How am I going to tell this to Lucene now? How am I going to tell that woman that the last of she boys dead? Andrew had a brother that died down Joe’s River and then the two that died in the fire and now this happen. I still can’t believe it. When I told his girlfriend in the [United] States what happen, she told me that I am lying and that she wants a picture to prove it,” said Mathias, who described her stepson as a man loved by all.

“He got along with everybody and it is really a big blow to the family. I still can’t believe that this really happened today,” she cried.

Other family members shared Mathias’ sense of disbelief as they were at times seen pleading with officers to allow them to see the body in order to come to grips with the reality that their loved one had passed.

Also present at the scene was Acting General Manager of the BAMC Winslow Haynes who declined to comment at this juncture about the loss of his longstanding employee.

However, co-worker Chesterfield Griffin, described Harewood, whom he affectionately referred to as Binga, as a man dedicated to his job who was a joy to work with.

“There isn’t much I can tell you right now because I am still really in shock. Binga was a good man, he was a good worker right through. I saw him just two weeks ago and exchanged a few words and a laugh but I had no idea that would be the last time that I would be seeing him,” said Griffin, who noted that he and Harewood worked at the BAMC for over 20 years.
colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb