Tobago crash victim died of blunt force trauma, post-mortem confirms

Elizabeth Gonzales

Marjorie Harry Orr died from blunt-force injuries sustained in a crash that sent her car plunging into the Richmond River, Tobago last Saturday.

A post-mortem conducted today at the Scarborough General Hospital found the 71-year-old suffered multiple rib fractures and bilateral pneumothoraxes – collapsed lungs on both sides of the chest – consistent with blunt trauma from a road traffic accident.

She was a passenger in the vehicle driven by her husband, Thomas Orr, who survived. The couple was on their way to a church event when another vehicle struck them along the Richmond main road.

Orr, 78, told Guardian Media the impact spun his car, broke a guardrail, and pushed the vehicle over the edge.

“I saw just a patch of gold coming down the road. I didn’t have time to stop,” he said. “The car hit me, spun me around, broke the rail, and the car lingered for a little while before going over.”

Passersby pulled the couple from the submerged vehicle, but Marjorie was unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead.

She was a mother, grandmother, and a respected Baptist spiritual leader. The crash occurred on the same weekend as her grandchild’s birthday.

Orr said he is still confused by public claims that both drivers moved off at the same time. “At no time did I stop,” he said. “Because, ma’am, let’s face it, if both of us are driving, both of us stop, both of us proceed at the same time—that force of impact, does that make sense?”

Despite his grief, Orr said he is willing to meet the other driver.

“We can’t bring back Margie, but the truth matters.”