Police Commissioner Kurt Walton has opened an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the failed retrieval of a blood sample from Minister Dwayne Seymour following his collision last week.
There are conflicting stories concerning the lack of a sample – which is necessary to determine blood-alcohol content in an individual in the absence of carrying out a breathalyser test – after it was revealed that no testing was done on the Bodden Town East MP.
Police insisted a sample was requested for investigative purposes following the 8 Aug. collision in which Seymour crashed into an excavator arm extending onto Anton Bodden Drive.
However, police said the attending physician objected to that request.
This triggered an outright denial from the Health Services Authority, which stated that the RCIPS officers who attended the hospital and who requested the sample did not provide the necessary testing kit as per the established procedure to obtain blood samples.
Police, in a short statement, said following discussions with the HSA’s deputy chief executive officer, Walton opened an inquiry into the incident.
Seymour recovering
Seymour has maintained his silence since the collision, and has been recuperating from the injuries he sustained in the crash.
He told the Compass on Friday that his lawyer, who is currently off-island, has not approved him making “any public utterances” in relation to the collision nor the subsequent controversy.
The minister, though, indicated that he was grateful to be alive following the traumatic event.
Seymour, who was driving a black Chevy Tahoe, collided with the excavator around 12:30am on 8 Aug.
He was transported to hospital nursing head injuries and later released.
Policies under review
The police also said that a review of section 86(2) of the Traffic Act, which concerns the circumstances under which a specimen of blood or urine can be taken following a collision, is ongoing.
“In its current form, this section does not address situations where a patient is unconscious or cannot give consent because of his/her condition. The RCIPS policy on testing of drivers following a collision is also being reviewed,” police said.
In a previous response to Compass queries on its policy for testing drivers at the scene of a collision, following an earlier crash involving Seymour in 2022, police said that the Traffic Act allows for breathalyser testing of drivers following a collision.
The RCIPS said at that time that the law makes it clear that an officer may request a driver gets breathalysed, but added, “In this case, following close observations of the driver, the officer assessed and formed a professional opinion that a breath test was not necessary.”
The RCIPS said, on Friday, 16 Aug. it will not be making any further comment on the latest matter at this time.
The investigation into the collision remains ongoing.
Third arrest made
Police also confirmed that a third juvenile male was arrested earlier this week in relation to the excavator involved in the collision.
Two youths from the Bodden Town area were previously arrested and bailed on suspicion of carrying out a reckless and negligent act, having allegedly moved the excavator and placed its extended arm onto the road.
Police said a 9-1-1 call had been received, informing emergency services that the equipment was on the road, just moments before Seymour crashed into the extended arm of the machinery.
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