Corentyne minibus smash up: Now-dead teacher always drove for school outings – family

– says death of beloved educator “tore our entire lives apart”
The Bushlot Secondary School teacher, who succumbed to his injuries on Saturday following a minibus crash at Number 63 Village, Corentyne on Friday while transporting school students home after sports, was the go-to driver for school outings, according to his family. Jerome Bernard, 30, had been teaching at the school for the past ten years.

Speaking on Sunday with this publication, Bernard’s aunt Brenda Lewis, in an emotional interview, reflected on his life of service, his love for sports, and the painful loss that has shattered the family. Lewis confirmed that Bernard, who had been a teacher for 10 years, was not only experienced in taking students to school events but had been licensed to drive for decades. She said he routinely drove for school outings and athletic meets.
“He always take them out… this is not the first time,” Lewis said tearfully. “Whether it’s cricket, whether it’s athletics, he was just there. He loved sports, he loved children… he went to nationals, he went to all the activities in this region.”
According to Lewis, Bernard transported the students on Wednesday and Thursday without incident. On Friday morning—the day of the tragedy—he passed by her home as usual. “He came to me, he said, ‘Aunty, I’m going to take the children.’ I said, ‘Okay, go, travel safe.’ But at the dot of 5, 6 o’clock, we had the horrible, horrible news… that was it for the entire family.” The grieving aunt recalled the agonising hours that followed, receiving word of the accident, rushing to the hospital, and being met with the grim reality that the injuries were severe. “When we reached there… it was terrible, terrible, terrible. But we can say he had the support of all the doctors. They tried, but God knows his place.”
Lewis described Bernard as his mother’s only child, a gentle and respected figure within the extended family. “He is my nephew, but he was like a child to each and every one of his cousins… a role model. Jerome’s [death] tore our entire lives apart; the entire Lewis and Bernard family from that Friday night.”
Bernard’s mother, she said, is unable to speak and remains devastated.
Lewis also shared that Bernard was not married and had no children.
“He was a poor, sincere boy… he used to say, ‘Aunty, I don’t want to make children out of marriage. When I am married, then I will make my child.’”
She said she had often told him she looked forward to celebrating his wedding, never imagining the family would instead be preparing for his funeral.

As the community continues to mourn the loss of both teacher and student, relatives say they hope the tragedy sparks urgent attention to road safety and stray animal control so that acts of dedication like Bernard’s are never again met with such devastating endings.
Sixteen-year-old Jodea Seline and 30-year-old teacher Jerome Bernard lost their lives in the tragic accident when the school bus transporting students reportedly swerved to avoid an animal that ran onto the roadway. The vehicle toppled several times before coming to a halt, leaving both Seline and Bernard fatally injured and 16 other students hurt, several of whom were rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
Police are continuing their investigations.