Sucker Garden:--- Residents, bystanders, students of several schools including those of the Marie Genevieve De Weever school created an emotional scene on the Sucker Garden's main road where 12 year old Silvia Lynch was killed on Friday. Two sisters of the deceased girl, her twin brother and adopted mother wept uncontrollably when they saw her dead body lying on the road. One of the sisters said she was not far away from the scene of the accident and she heard a loud bang and screams and when she ran to the road she saw her sister lying dead on the road with her eyes bulging out of her head. Her mother Ruth Gumbs was screaming and wanted to see her daughter's body but bystanders at the scene restrained her from looking at the body, since the truck apparently ran over the young girl's head killing her instantly.
An eye witness identified as "Louis" said he was sitting in front of the Chinese Supermarket and he saw when the school bus stopped in the middle of the road to let off the students. The elderly man who was obviously angry said he also saw a huge truck with licenses plate Z-81 speeding down Naked Boy Hill and the driver was blowing his horn to get the bus out of the way. Louis said the young girl was almost on the other side of the road and the truck ran her over as if she was nothing. Louis called on authorities to jail the truck driver who was immediately removed from the scene by police and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station.
Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said it is believed that the truck had faulty brakes and the driver was not able to bring the vehicle to a stop when he saw the school bus across the main road letting off students. Henson said the driver of the truck from the Dominican Republic told police that when he realized he lost brakes he had to swerve away from the bus and he did not see the girl. Henson said the traffic and forensic department were busy re-creating the scene of the accident before they removed the body from where it was at the side of the road covered with a white sheet.
Several bystanders expressed outrage saying that heavy vehicles are seen all over St. Maarten's roads speeding at all hours of the day. Some said authorities are not enforcing the law because these heavy vehicles are not supposed to be on the road during peak hours.
Students who were on the school bus were seen crying openly as they all witnessed the accident and death of their friend. Several teachers from the Marie Genevieve De Weever School were at the scene of the accident providing support to their students and relatives of the deceased girl.
Silvia Lynch (12) was in the sixth grade of the Marie Genevieve De Weever School, she was also a member of the Generation New Status STM band managed by Urmain Dormoy. Dormoy said Silvia was one of his best students was on the frontline of the band. "St Maarten just lost one of its brightest. Silvia was looking forward to going to Milton Peters College, she was a very mannerly child who would always strive for the best. Hearing this tragic news has left me in a state of shock," Dormoy said. Silvia was also a member of the Restorers of Broken Walls Congregation on the French side of the island.
Click here to view the photos of the scene of the accident.