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Firefighter dies in road accident

Jevanie Fubler (right) pictured with Davida Morris

Tributes were paid yesterday to “model citizen” Jevanie Fubler of Devonshire, the fifth man to die on Bermuda’s roads in four weeks.Mr Fubler was a 29-year-old firefighter, nicknamed Smokey, who also served as a St John Ambulance volunteer. He died in a collision on Frog Lane, Devonshire, early on Saturday.The news came just four days after 31-year-old Jason Darrell succumbed to injuries sustained in a collision in Paget last weekend. His death was announced on Friday, and Mr Darrell’s family also paid tribute to him yesterday.Reflecting on the passing of Mr Fubler, his friend Jamel Hardtman, 30, said: “He was a model citizen. He was the kind of guy who I don’t think had an enemy. He was always smiling, and was a happy soul.”Mr Hardtman met Mr Fubler in 2005 when they attended college together in Rhode Island. In addition to his work as a firefighter and ambulance volunteer, Mr Fubler was a keen football and softball player and participated in the Duke of Edinburgh youth programme.“He was the most respectful person you could ever meet and I never saw him angry. He was always helpful and a really kind soul,” said Mr Hardtman.Former Progressive Labour Party Senator Davida Morris, 32, who is Mr Fubler’s ex girlfriend said: “Jevanie was one of the best people that I ever knew, without question, and he had the best heart. People like him really don’t exist that much in this world. He was one of those people who would go out of his way for you.”She explained that Mr Fubler was a member of Progressive Minds, the youth wing of the Progressive Labour Party, and was someone who cared about the community.“This is not just a loss for his family — it’s a loss for the Island,” she said.Mr Fubler played football for Robin Hood and softball for Panthers. His friend Carla Zuill, said: “I’ve known him for many years through softball. He always had a kind word and a warm hug for everyone.“I can’t even recall ever seeing him angry. He was very easy-going and always had a huge smile on his face. He will truly be missed in every day life and at the softball diamond where we are a large close knit family.”Wenda Roberts, Acting Divisional Officer at Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service said: “The Chief Fire Officer, Officers and members of the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service would like to extend their sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Firefighter Jevanie Fubler.“Jevanie became a full-time firefighter with the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service in 2009. After basic training he was assigned to the Airport Operations Division where he remained until his untimely death.“Jevanie was instrumental in forming the Service’s softball team for the recent Corporate Games and was in the process of having the team participate in a friendly softball league due to start this month.“Jevanie was a hardworking, dependable, friendly employee who will be sadly missed by all. Words cannot begin to adequately portray the tremendous sorrow that all members of the Fire Service are feeling in the wake of this loss. It is an extremely difficult time and we now must work through the grieving process as we honour a life that has been cut too short.”A police spokesman said: “Mr Fubler was seriously injured when the motorcycle he was riding collided with barricades and ended up in an area undergoing roadwork along Frog Lane in Devonshire during the early morning hours of Saturday, February 2. Mr Fubler was pronounced dead at 7am Saturday by an on call doctor at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.”Mr Darrell was seriously injured around 5.10pm last Saturday when his motorcycle was involved in a collision with another motorcycle and a car at the junction of Harbour Road and Salt Kettle Road in Paget.He spent three days in the Intensive Care Unit of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital before succumbing to his injuries on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife Cleophea, two-year-daughter Cindi-Anna — also known as Star — siblings Jermaine and Jessica, and parents Keith and Pamela.Mr Darrell Sr, 60, from Warwick, said he and his wife loved their son “unconditionally” and dealing with his loss is “not an easy task”.He explained: “He loved to cook for people, just like his daddy. He would cook nice food and people loved him for it. He had a lot of friends and he loved to dress really good and look really sharp and he really had a close relationship with his daughter.”Mr Darrell Jr worked in painting and construction, and for a short time at the Port O’Call restaurant in Hamilton. His funeral will be held at the Seventh-day Adventist Church on King Street, Hamilton, tomorrow at 1pm.Minister of Transport Shawn Crockwell said yesterday: “On behalf of the Government and people of Bermuda, I offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of these two young men. To have five deaths on our roads already this year is tragic.“I will be meeting with Attorney General Mark Pettingill and Minister of Public Safety Michael Dunkley early this week, and we will be working with urgency to address this unacceptable trend.”Prior to the collisions that claimed the lives of Mr Darrell and Mr Fubler, 51-year-old Andrew Peniston was killed after his motorcycle struck a traffic island on North Shore Road, Devonshire, shortly after midnight on January 6.Haile Matthews, 31, died in the early hours of January 18 after his motorcycle collided with a car on Montpelier Road in Devonshire. Musician and volunteer firefighter Torrie Baker, 25, died a day after his rental cycle was in a collision on Mullet Bay Road in St George’s early on January 19.Nine people died in road collisions during the whole of last year.Police investigations into the two latest deaths are continuing. Anyone with information about the Fubler collision or the victim’s whereabouts on Friday night should contact PC Roger Fox at the Roads Policing Unit on 247-1157.Anyone with information about the Darrell collision — specifically anyone who may have stopped to assist at the scene — should call PC David Ward at the Roads Policing Unit directly on 247-1504.

Jason Darrell
The scene of the collision that claimed the life of Jevanie Fubler. His bike hit barricades on Frog Lane in Devonshire early on Saturday morning (Photo by Glenn Tucker)
The scene of the collision that claimed the life of Jevanie Fubler. His bike hit barricades on Frog Lane in Devonshire early on Saturday morning (Photo by Glenn Tucker)