Grandmother of girl killed by fallen gate: We may forgive but we will never forget

THE grandmother of Krystal Laloon, the five-year-old who was killed when a gate fell on her on Sunday, says she is willing to forgive the man who opened the gate causing it to fall, however, she will never forget and does not accept his apology.

Gangadaye Laloon spoke with the media at her Sangre Chiquito home on Tuesday, one day after the child died.

“He pull the gate and it stick. It come off the track and he see it stick but he keep pulling the gate three or four times. He should have known better. If the gate stick and you pull it and you see it slip off the track, which means it will fall, why you still pulling it so many times? It had the children there too, you could have told them to move or to run.”

Police reported that Krystal succumbed to her injuries at about 1 am at the Sangre Grande District Hospital on Monday. Her cousin, Kavish Jaimungal, also five, was also injured when the gate collapsed. He is warded in a serious condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

Kavish’s grandmother Rupwatie Jaimungal said her grandson is in need of facial reconstructive surgery owing to the extent of his injuries.

“My grandson awake now. His face and thing swell and he’s in pain and crying and he don’t want to leave his father. He don’t even want to go in the bathroom by himself. He get a fractured face, broken jaw, cuts under he eye and a big cut on the face and the back of his head.”

Laloon said one of her sons, Robbie, witnessed the accident but could not call out to the children as he is deaf and mute. His twin brother Ronnie, Krystal’s father is also deaf and mute so too is Krystal’s mother Bibi Laloon.

Laloon added: "I hope to forgive one day, but I will never forget. My advice is to be careful with the gates and children. It is a serious matter; don’t keep children close to the gate. If a gate stick and that is a heavy gate ask for help, especially if you see children there.”

This is the second time the gate fell injuring a family member. Within the past decade, Krystal’s grandfather Hemraj Laloon said the gate fell on him after closing it and he called a fabricator to fix. After that there was no issue with the gate until Sunday's mishap.

Family friend Karen Kalipersad said Krystal a first year student at Sangre Grande Hindu School, was a loving child who would pray for her ailing grandparents and encouraged those around to do so as well. She said she helped Krystal with her online school work and regarded her as her own grandchild.

"I blaming myself for what happened, because is every Sunday I am here with her playing with her and if I was here on Sunday she would not have been downstairs by the gate she would have been playing with me."

Gangadaye said two relatives, both named Ravi, took the children to the hospital. The vehicle they were in was involved in a crash and one of the tyres blew out. A good Samaritan gave them a lift to the hospital and for that, Gangadaye and the family is eternally grateful.