As soca star Onika Bostic battled for her life for another
day, the man who drove the car that crashed and almost killed
her spent the day praying she would recover.
Bostic, 24, lived through Saturday night after sustaining
horrific head, spinal and internal injuries following a
vehicular accident early that morning which left her in a coma.
Surviving the night was a miracle and a positive sign, staff
at the Port of Spain General Hospital's Intensive Care Unit told
relatives yesterday.
And her condition seemed to improve.
Relatives were told by attending nurses that swelling on her
brain had been reduced and bleeding had stopped.
The Burning Flames lead singer was listed as stable but
remained critical.
Friends and relatives were allowed two-minute visits to her
bedside at the ICU yesterday.
They said she looked calm and asleep. Her mother Jacinta and
brother and sister have maintained an almost constant vigil at
her side.
Lead singer and manager of Burning Flames Clarence Edwards (Oungku)
is said to have flown in from Antigua to be at Bostic's side
yesterday.
He was one of many local soca artistes and performers who
have visited within the past two days.
Doctors have indicated that Bostic's neural (brain) activity
was very low but have maintained that it was a miracle she lived
through the initial surgery.
She was operated on for five hours on Saturday after the car
she was driven in by fellow performer Raymond Joseph (Ninja)
skidded on the Eastern Main Road in Laventille and crashed into
a wall.
Friends and relatives continued to keep watch outside
Bostic's hospital room. They maintained a prayer circle, hoping
the soca diva would recover.
Joseph, who escaped with a minor head injury and was nursing
a sore neck yesterday, said he was emotionally devastated about
Bostic's condition.
She is the godmother of Ninja's two-year-old daughter Nadiegh
Joseph. But according to Joseph, she is also a close
"sister and friend".
"I just want to be able to sit down with her and talk
and live like we used to," he told the Express yesterday.
"I am praying for a miracle, I am not dwelling on anything
negative."
Joseph recalled the night of the accident, still shocked at
how his car crashed.
"I was driving normally, then the car skidded left on
the water close to Erica Street," he said. "I don't
know if there was a 'jumbie' on the road that night but I had no
choice but to pull to the left and the car kept skidding and
turned over."
After his B-13 Sentra flipped over, he said he climbed out
the vehicle and kept calling Bostic's name. She never answered.
"I just want to ask everybody to keep praying for her
and send their blessings out to her," he said.
Bostic remains in critical condition.
Doctors are expected to update the family on her condition
this morning.
Source: The Trinidad Express
Gregory A. Lewin
glewin@bluefieldspulse.com
Bluefieldspulse has some
very bad news to report to its readers.
Dec. 12, 2004-Onika
Bostic, lead singer of the Burning Flames was in a very bad car accident
in Trinidad and has been given a 1% chance of survival by her doctors.
Onika suffered a head fracture and some other serious injuries to her
body. She went under surgery last night but the prognostic is not looking
good for our beloved Onika. We ask all of you who got the opportunity to
meet Onika during the concert to pray for her and ask all your friends to
pray for her as well. Will keep you posted.
Update on Onika's
condition. Oungku arrived in Trinidad and is by her side. He said her
condition has not change.
This is the latest from
the News Paper in Trinidad.
