An incident during the Vieux Fort Carnival on Sunday where a woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries, has prompted a new call for responsible enjoyment during such events.
Saint Lucia Fire Service (SLFS) emergency responders rushed the woman to St. Jude Hospital after she got in the way of a sound truck, resulting in body and face abrasions.
The vehicle nearly ran over her.
Chelsa Jongue is the public relations officer for the Carnival Planning and Management Committee (CPMC), responsible for Saint Lucia Carnival.
However, each community puts on its own event.
Nevertheless, Jongue told St. Lucia Times that the CPMC works closely with the communities to establish standards and deliver a good product experience.
“Safety is always a concern,” the CPMC official explained.
Jongue recalled that one of the focus areas for Lucian Carnival was responsible enjoyment.
She observed that Carnival is a time for revelry and excitement.
But Jongue noted that sometimes people can forget their responsibility to protect themselves and others around them.
“The incident yesterday drives home the importance of our own responsibility to take care of ourselves, not just for Lucian Carnival but on the whole, no matter where you are,” the CPMC official stated.
“You have a responsibility to enjoy yourself, but doing so in a manner that does not result in bodily harm or any other kind of harm,” Jongue said, adding that she was happy that a major tragedy did not occur in Vieux Fort.
“Unfortunately, we have incidents like these now and then. It’s really for us to now look and even when these incidents happen, whether it is minor or major, it’s important for us as organisers to look at it and to see how it does not become something major and even at the Lucian Carnival level, we will endeavour to do the same,” she told St. Lucia Times.
