Court finds driver liable in fatal Friar’s Hill Road crash, clearing way for repatriation

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has ruled that Diondre Samuel is liable in negligence for the death of Jamaican national Lashauna Sheleta Bridgen, bringing a four-year legal battle to a close and paving the way for her long-delayed return home.

In a judgment delivered in October 2025, Justice Tunde A. Byer found that Samuel failed to exercise proper care while driving, leading to the fatal collision on January 20, 2022, along Friar’s Hill Road near Jasmine Court.

Bridgen, 29, a mother of two and a security officer living in Antigua, died after being struck while crossing the road. She had exited a vehicle moments before the incident. Investigators reported that Samuel was travelling at speed when the collision occurred, with the impact throwing Bridgen more than 100 feet.

Although Samuel was later acquitted in June 2025 of causing death by dangerous driving—after a jury found the evidence did not meet the criminal standard of proof—the civil court reached a different conclusion. Applying the lower threshold required in civil matters, the court determined that Samuel bore full responsibility for the crash.

The court found that the defendant failed to keep a proper lookout, take evasive action, and exercise reasonable care toward a pedestrian. It also rejected claims that Bridgen contributed to the accident, assigning full liability to Samuel.

The ruling grants the estate’s claim in full, with damages to be assessed at a later stage. Samuel’s insurer will cover funeral-related expenses incurred locally, while he remains personally liable for any additional compensation beyond policy limits.

The decision marks a significant turning point for Bridgen’s family, who have been unable to lay her to rest due to prolonged legal and administrative delays. Her body is now scheduled to be repatriated to Jamaica on April 14, 2026.

Family members, represented in the matter by attorneys acting on instructions from Jamaican consular officials, had pursued the claim under the Fatal Accidents Act following the collapse of the criminal case.

Speaking after the ruling, Bridgen’s brother described a sense of relief after years of uncertainty.

“We are finally at a place where the family can breathe a sigh of relief,” he said, noting the emotional toll of the prolonged process.

With the civil matter now moving into the damages phase, the ruling brings both legal clarity and the long-awaited opportunity for the family to begin the process of closure.