Remo narrates his version of accident and GMC incident…
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 31 December 2015 23:26 IST
Helen D'Souza with both her legs fractures, along with her sister
After total silence over the accident as well as the incident of abusing the minor girl in the hospital, pop singer Remo Fernandes came forth his version, while filing the anticipatory bail application before Goa Children’s Court.
While his son Jonah knocked down a minor girl from Sindhudurg on a walking pilgrimage on 1 December, Remo has been charged with verbally abusing the girl in the GMC hospital while under treatment.
After admitting that he was a Portuguese national, Remo has also given his residential address of Portugal in the bail application as: 596, Rua Nova Das Perlinhas, 3 EsqFte, Rio Tinto 4435-353, Gondomar, Porto, Portugal.
Following is the lengthy version Remo narrates in his bail application:
On 1st December, 2015, I and my son were proceeding to Margao from Siolim. We crossed Mapusa at about 4.30 pm and entered the narrow one-lane road at Guirim, where the ongoing digging work had created a traffic jam which reduced the speed of traffic.
On the left side of the road, there was a large group of youth walking three and four abreast. While the car was being driven at a speed of about 30 kmph, at about 4.40 pm, suddenly, out of the fields on the left, three or four buffaloes came running on to the road, right into the group of youngsters.
Some of the youngsters stepped forward to avoid the buffaloes and some stepped backwards; however, one girl panicked and, without looking, stepped sideways onto the road and straight against the side of my car.
We immediately stopped the car off the road and got off to see what had happened.
Finding the girl injured, I asked the girl’s companions whether they wanted me to take her to the nearest hospital, but her companions replied that there was no such need, as they had already called 108 ambulance.
The companions of the injured girl were extremely polite and friendly. Four of the injured girl’s companions told me that they saw the accident and it was absolutely not my fault as the buffaloes came running and scared the injured girl due to which she ran on to the road without looking leading to the accident.
The incident was also witnessed by some bystanders.
We waited at the scene till the arrival of the 108 ambulance and ensured that the girl was safely put into the ambulance together with her sister and two others and thereafter waited for the police to arrive at the scene.
The police came to the scene at about 5 pm and inter alia, enquired about the owner of the car, to which I immediately revealed my ownership of the car.
The police after finishing the formalities asked me to follow them to the Mapusa station and asked me to keep the car at the station overnight, as it needed to be inspected by the RTO.
Leaving behind all the relevant car documents with the police, we hired a taxi and proceeded to Asilio Hospital when police informed us where the girl is admitted.
On reaching Asilio Hospital, I expressed my deepest empathy with the injured and tried to assure her of all his assistance.
At this time, Hawaldar Kishore Naik was recording the injured’s sister’s statement where she clearly narrated the incident with details of the buffaloes running on to the road and frightening the injured and causing her to run against the car.
At this stage, the doctors decided to shift the injured from Asilio Mapusa to GMC. I met there Rev Fr Andrew D’Mello, the Rev Priest from Malwan, Sindhudurg, who had organized the Padyatra and had just arrived from Sindhudurg after hearing about the mishap.
Rev. Fr. Andrew took me aside and spoke thus: “we don’t want to ask you for any money or compensation, as we know it is not your fault, it is nobody’s fault, it is the buffaloes’ fault. But this family is not well-to-do and they don’t have a father, so we request you to please take care of the girl’s treatment and medicine expenses, as well as the travel and stay of the family members who will stay with Helen until she leaves GMC. They will sign an affidavit clearing you of any blame; at that time, you please give them enough to make up for their expenses.”
I immediately agreed to do the same and promised that I would go and visit the injured in GMC on the very next day. However, the next day, due to his lawyer’s unavailability throughout the day, the drafting of the affidavit took longer than planned and I phoned Fr Andrew and informed him that I would be there on the 3rd December at 3 pm.
Fr. Andrew informed me that the injured had been operated upon, that she was recovering beautifully and that he was therefore going back to Sindhudurg.
The next morning, two of the injured’s sisters called me, rudely demanding to know why I had not come the previous day. I informed them about my conversation with Fr Andrew and told them that I would come at 3 pm as assured.
On the 3rd December, me and my son reached GMC at 3 pm sharp. The injured and her family all had a very cordial and friendly chat, during which I assured them of all assistance.
I accepted all the expense figures just as they quoted them, without reducing or arguing about a single one, counting taxis to and from Sindhudurg plus a second two-way journey to remove the plaster, her family’s taxi journey the day before, their food in Goa throughout the two stays, plus money for additional medicines.
The figure worked out to about Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 28,000 and I offered to pay double of it i.e. Rs. 50,000 as a goodwill gesture, even though the accident was no fault mine or my son.
To the horror and surprise, the younger sister of the injured, in a very rude and impolite manner, began demanding that I should pay nothing short of Rs 3 lakhs at the moment.
I asked her why she is demanding so much, her reply was “because you have prestige”.
At this time asked her, “so the price of your sister’s accident is relative to the car driver’s prestige? If it is Remo, it is Rs 3 lakhs? If it were Ambani, would the price be Rs 3 crores?”
I asked the injured’s sister to justify her demand for such a huge sum and to show the expenditure incurred, but the injured’s sister was not in a mood to listen and justify and refused to accept any money below 3 lakhs.
Failing to convince the injured’s sister, I decided to leave the hospital, assuring the sister of the injured that he will pay the sum of Rs 50,000 at the moment and any further expenses at any time as and when incurred.
I also informed the injured’s sister that he will help her obtain sufficient compensation through the Court to cover all her expenses.
I also informed the sister and the family that his car was well insured and that besides the Rs. 50,000 he was offering for immediate relief, they would certainly receive a handsome from the Insurance Company as well.
After two or three days, I called Rev Fr Manuel in Sindhudurg and he told me that everything was alright and they were going to ask my Insurance company for compensation and I didn’t need to do anything else whatsoever.
I was never contacted by the injured or her family at any time thereafter.
Truly I realised after aquaring lot's of knowledge our brain cells have become weak so we give wrong definition see if mine definition fits tree's r not permitted to cut because of main reason they convert carbondioxide to oxygen which is benefit to humanity dose not the coconut tree doing this
Extremely glad that Remo's version is in the public domain
Apparently the young girl wasn't so " poor " and "'pitiful " after all.
And would the media corroborate this with the priest from Malvan and if true can we shift our attention to the more substantive issue of stray and domesticated cattle running amok on our streets , putting at risk life and limb of all and sundry??
It is disgraceful that such traffic hazards like stray cattle are not challenged by our trigger happy cops,'our overfed legislators and our all knowing judges all because it's a "'holy cow" never to be offended !!!
Oscar Rebelo , was Remo's son carrying a valid driver's license? If not this French national ought to go to jail. If it was his own country, and an Indian was driving on an illegal license and causing injury to a pedestrian, he/she would have been in the dungeon already!