Senate pays tribute to victims of medevac disaster
The public were invited to a memorial this weekend to honour the two Bermudians who died in a medevac crash near the United States.
Sergio Wayne Lottimore and Marilyn Lavonne Bean were named as two of the six people on board the air ambulance that went missing near Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Saturday morning.
The memorial, organised by the Western Alliance of Churches, with whom the Bean family are associated, was announced as senators offered their condolences to the families of the deceased yesterday.
Lindsay Simmons, the Junior Minister of Home Affairs, recognised Ms Bean as a loving mother of four.
She said: “I had many conversations with Ms Bean through her work at [the Department of] Rent Control.
“She was always kind and she actually encouraged me, Madam President. Whenever I had a question, she would get right back to me.
“She always took the time to answer my questions and she would encourage me by telling me, ‘Hey, Lindsay, you're doing a great job, keep up the good work’.”
Ms Simmons added: “Sometimes we don’t recognise how much someone’s words of encouragement mean to us until years, months, or days later, but I remember her and I am grateful for them.”
Members the air ambulance crew were later named by the US Coast Guard as Captain Philip Gregory Childerhose, First Officer Thomas Henry Farquhar, Sarah Jane Paton, a flight nurse, and Jolene Beth Weir, a respiratory therapist. All four were Canadian nationals.
Ms Simmons told the Senate that she attended The Berkeley Institute with Ms Bean’s oldest son, Lorenzo Lottimore, which made the loss feel “even closer to home”.
She said: “As a mother myself, I can’t imagine the pain of losing a child. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a mother and I cannot imagine what this family are experiencing as they now face the unimaginable reality of losing both.”
Ms Simmons highlighted the “love” that drove Mr Lottimore to board the air ambulance with his mother as she sought medical care.
She said: “He was there for his mother. He was making sure that she did not have to make that journey alone.
“He was making sure his mother received the care she needed.
“That is love — and that is what makes this so incredibly painful.”
Charles Misick, the Premier, paid tribute to the deceased in a letter to the Bermuda Government.
Mr Misick recognised that each name was tied to a social circle forced to contend with the losses.
He added that, because of the national ties between Turks & Caicos and Bermuda, the tragedy felt all the more personal for them.
Mr Misick said: “Ties between our islands extend beyond our shared status as British Overseas Territories.
“Our peoples are connected by centuries of history, with Bermudians playing an important role in the early settlement and development of the Turks & Caicos Islands.
“These longstanding ties give even deeper meaning to the solidarity we feel with Bermuda in this moment of grief.”
Mr Misick further extended his condolences to the four Canadians who died in the crash.
He recognised the responsibility that came with servicing people during “some of life’s most vulnerable moments”.
He added: “The sorrow occasioned by this tragedy reaches far beyond Bermuda shores.
“Yet, in the midst of such tremendous grief, I pray that the families of those lost will draw strength from the compassion and support being extended to them from Bermuda, Canada, the Turks & Caicos Islands and the wider international community.”
Mr Misick said: “Premier Burt, please know that the Government and people of the Turks & Caicos Islands stand with you and the people of Bermuda during this difficult time.
“Please convey our deepest sympathies to the families of Ms Bean and Mr Lottimore, and to the wider Bermudian community as it mourns this heartbreaking loss.”
Ms Simmons also recognised the crew on board the air ambulance and the difficult but important work they carried out.
She reminded the Senate that the remaining four who died had loved ones and a national community mourning their absence.
Ms Simmons added: “Six souls were on that flight — six human beings, six people who were loved. Six people with families, friends, memories, hopes and dreams.
“Now, six families and communities are carrying this unimaginable loss.”
The senator reminded the public to give the families privacy during their time of mourning.
She added: “On behalf of the Senate and the people of Bermuda, I believe it is important that this family know that they are not grieving alone, that their loss is felt across this island and that Bermuda stands with them.”
Tarik Smith told the Senate he went to Gilbert Institute with Lorenzo “Renzo” and Sergio “Serg” Lottimore and referred to the younger brother as “one of the nicest human beings you will ever meet”.
He said: “Being an AV geek, which is someone who loves aeroplanes, I’ve always investigated plane crashes, but when it happened to someone in the community, as you know, it hurts.
“As an AV geek, when I woke up in the morning and saw this on my Facebook, it was shocking.
“I didn’t find out until, I would say, quarter to nine that night who it was and it really knocked me on my backside.”
John Wight, the Vice-President of the Senate, told the Senate that Mr Lottimore was a good friend and former work colleague of his eldest daughter.
He said: “My daughter called me Saturday morning when she learnt of this tragic news and she's been grieving, as the whole community has been since then.”
He added: “All I can say is that, as Senator Simmons articulated beautifully, this has impacted every Bermudian, every resident and our thoughts and prayers go to the Lottimore-Bean family.”
The memorial will take place at Fort Scaur Hill at 6pm on Saturday.
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