Mandela Avenue fatal accident: Driver seeks bail adjustment to fulfill compensation agreement

Chris Sobers, the 22-year-old electrician who is charged with causing the death of 28-year-old Edward Solomon by dangerous driving in 2024, is seeking to redirect the $300,000 bail he has lodged towards a million-dollar compensation payment to the estate of the late Edward Solomon, in accordance with an agreement he has entered into with family members of the deceased.
When his request was ventilated in the Georgetown court of Chief Magistrate Fabayo Azore on Friday, it was revealed that Sobers had already paid $500,000 in this regard, and in order to complete the remaining $500,000 balance, he is proposing that the $300,000 bail posted in his name be transferred as partial payment.
If this arrangement is approved, it would leave Sobers with a $200,000 outstanding balance to be paid to the estate of the late Edward Solomon; and he is promising to liquidate that sum by February 28, 2025.

Magistrate Azore explained that while Sobers’s request has been noted, such an arrangement would require consent from the individual who had initially posted the bail; because a bailor is typically refunded his bail only after a case has been concluded.
Describing the request as unusual, she said it is a “tricky situation” that requires careful consideration. Nevertheless, she would review the matter to determine whether it could be accommodated.
Sobers’s decision to pay compensation to the estate of the late Edward Solomon stems from a fatal accident that occurred at Mandela Avenue, Georgetown on April 4, 2024.
As per police investigations, Sobers was driving motorcar PAF4593 when he made a left turn onto Freeman Street, Georgetown without ensuring the path was clear. This manoeuvre placed his vehicle in the path of motorcycle CJ 9016, which Solomon was driving, and the resultant collision caused severe injuries to both Sobers and Solomon.
They were both rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) for treatment. Solomon was discharged, but was readmitted on May 28, 2024 after he began experiencing complications. He succumbed to his injuries on May 30, 2024.
Following Solomon’s death, Sobers was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, and during his initial court appearance in June 2024, was placed on bail in the sum of $300,000. One
condition of his being granted bail required that he report to the Kaneville Grove Police Station on the first Friday of each month.
Sobers’s agreement to compensate the estate of Edward Solomon with $1,000,000 represents an effort to bring resolution to the matter. However, with $500,000 already paid, the court would have to determine how best to handle Sobers’s request for the bail to be applied towards the compensation.
Sobers is scheduled to return to court on February 28, when further decisions regarding the compensation payments and the bail adjustment are expected to be made.