"When knocked down by vehicle ... friend chatting with me didn't come to my aid -- Beruwala youth who was to wed Swiss girl donates all parts of body after brain had died!

"When knocked down by vehicle ... friend chatting with me didn't come to my aid -- Beruwala youth who was to wed Swiss girl donates all parts of body after brain had died!

A 26 year old Sri Lankan youth who was supposed to marry a Swiss teacher has met with a motor accident most unfortunately and as a result of his comrades turning a blind eye on him at that moment. Uunder such circumstances his brain had stopped functioning and after it came to be known that he could not live any further, it is reported that all parts of his body including his eyes, kidneys and heart were to be

donated.

It was Suresh Abeygoonawardena living in Moragolla area in Beruwala whose parts of the body were thus donated. He had in fact been running a restaurant for tourists in Moragolla area and when he had been engaged in having a chat with some friends in the night hours by the roadside, had suddenly crossed the road not seeing a vehicle approaching in his direction. A truck had on that occasion struck him and having collapsed and being admitted to hospital with injuries ... passed away in a few days.

At the moment of this accident though there was a chance of saving his life before this tragic death occured; on that occasion his friends, neighbours as well as those travelling on the road at that moment were on the principle of not paying due attention to this occurence, the situation had aggravated; the driver who drove the vehicle told the media.

The driver, Vidula Kankanamge Samantha (37) said this in his evidence: "I am responsible for the accident. On 16th night around 10.45 I was driving the vehicle loaded with 900 bags of cement from Galle to the Kelaniya stores. My speed of driving was about 40 - 45 kms. per hour. Since our speed is checked by G.P.S. equipment by the establishment we don't drive at a higher speed. When our vehicle had passed Aluthgama and was moving forward. We were at that time about 200 metres beyond Moragaha Junction when 3 persons were noticed to be having a conversation. One of them was on a motor bicycle. One of them jumped across the road when my vehicle was approximately 10 metres away when the others yelled cautioning him to get aside. Though I applied the brakes he got knocked from the front side and fell in front of the vehicle. The right-side wheel had stopped near his legs and stopped.

I lifted the injured person. None of the friends who were with him came there. Even four or five three-wheelers plying down that road at that time refused to take this victim to hospital. Then a person who came there said, "let's stop a three-wheeler even by force". A three-wheeler was stopped that way and he was despatched to Beruwala Hospital. But then it was too late.

On instructions of police officers I didn't go to the hospital as such. The victim was transferred from Beruwala to Nagoda and later to the Colombo Hospital; but the doctors had understood that his death couldn't be averted at that stage. His brain had died; and as a result because his family members had informed that they are willing to donate parts of his body a few hours after his brain was not functioning, hospital authorities had taken measures to carry out what was necessary in that connection.

The fiancee of deceased Suresh Abeygoonawardena is a Swiss national. It was said that they were to be married in the recent future. Consent to donate body was given by her. Accordingly, his eyes, kidneys and heart were donated. There were another brother and 2 sisters in Suresh's family and Suresh's mother who was in tears expressed her ideas about the death of her son saying that he was someone who was an innocent person who did not do any wrong to anybody.

The medical officer who examined the medical report and conducted the postmortem issued a verdict that this was a death resulting in a traffic accident where an internal haemmorage on the brain had occured and the brain had swollen. The incident where his friends had turned a blind eye at the moment of the accident was an instance which brings surprise. But, after his

death he had done his duty to his countrymen!