Yesterday evening, a ten year old girl was rescued from beneath a home that was being raised, and then started to collapse when the hydraulic jacks failed. It is a story of a terrible near-tragedy and uncommon heroism. I found out about both today – while trying to get an answer to the question: what was she doing under a home that was being raised in the first place? Here’s what I found out.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Do you believe that if you did not come to this child’s rescue she would be dead?
Francis Martinez, Hero of the Day
“Probably because you could see she needed it.”
Ten year old Carolyn Cattouse lies in the KHMH tonight hospital lucky to be alive. Before six yesterday evening this home which is the family’s residence collapsed on top of the young girl. Reports are that the stepfather was trying to move his house from this unnamed street where the property sits on. The building had already been raised a foot and a half when he sent his young daughter under the building to get his tools. Reports are the jack could not sustain the weight of the building and the structure collapsed on the young child.
But Bernadine Cattouse disputes the report. According to the mother her common law husband Karel Galvez did not send her daughter for anything; rather, her
child ran under the house.
Bernadine Cattouse, Mother
“First of all we did not send Carolyn under the house. She went there alone. I don’t know why. We didn’t send her to do anything. She just went there because we were jacking up the house so that we can get it off the ground.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
But at the time when your daughter went under the house, why didn’t you run after her or pull her or why didn’t you tell your daughter don’t go under the house because there is a possibility it can fall?
Bernadine Cattouse,
“Well what I am saying is that we didn’t know she was under the house.”
Francis Martinez,
“I was doing something at the back yard and heard boom but I never expected it on fell on the girl. I suspected…well anyway it wasn’t my grandson because they live just about one yard away from them and he came and said grandpa the little girl was back there and the house dropped on her. So me and my daughter went through the back and she was there.”
Bernadine Cattouse,
“I was surprised that she was there. I was shocked.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How did you find out that Carolyn was trapped under the house?
Bernadine Cattouse,
“Well after the house fell, I hollered for her because I saw my other daughters outside and I asked for Carolyn and she wasn’t around and my other daughter and she was under the house. I said wow because the house already dropped. I went shocked.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How were you able to pull your daughter or who pulled your daughter from under the house?
Bernadine Cattouse,
“It is Karel who did it. He was shocked too. He got the house up and he went creeping under the house and he dragged her out.”
If it was not for the heroic actions of the next door neighbour sixty year old Francis Martinez it is very likely young Carolyn may have died. According to Mrtinez the young girl was lying on the ground and having difficulty breathing.
Francis Martinez,
“I went through my backyard because there is so close and when I when
I went there I saw the little girl she was gasping for air and I said this girl needed some help. So I did a mouth to nose resuscitation.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How long did you work on the child before the ambulance arrived?
Francis Martinez,
“I would say about close to three to four minutes before the ambulance came.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And during that time when you were working on her, how was she responding?
Francis Martinez,
“She was responding, well from when I started to give her some air then well she was getting to be sort, she started to beat normal. Her injuries were such that I don’t know if she was partly locked underneath the house because it was obvious that something fell on her and she was gasping for air.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How is Carolyn doing now?
Bernadine Cattouse,
“Well so far she is doing well because when she was at first she came here she wasn’t moving, she wasn’t doing anything and I thought she was going to die but after last night she is doing very well.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Did she break any bones in her body, any internal injuries?
Bernadine Cattouse,
“Well I don’t really know because today I took her to take an Xray and they are going to take an ultrasound.”
Francis Martinez worked on Carolyn Cattouse until the ambulance arrived and took the child to the KHMH.
Bernadine Cattouse,
“Well I am grateful to him. I haven’t gotten into contact with him as yet but my gentleman told me that he did the CPR and I am very thankful to him for doing that because he is my neighbour but we are not like friends and talking and stuff. It is just that at the moment he came and helped and I appreciated it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How do you feel knowing that you saved this young child’s life?
Francis Martinez,
“Well I feel good. It is not the first for me. It happened at Public Works way back in the 80s. I had to resuscitate a gentleman who was went to sea to rescue somebody but he in turn drowned so they had to pick him up and had to resuscitate him.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Where did you learn to do CPR?
Francis Martinez,
“Good I learned it from the St. John’s Anglican Brigade which is the only one in Corozal and Orange Walk at that time but its all defunct now. It is very important for everyone to learn at least that basic one, resuscitation because that is the one that usually saves, that’s air. So it is important that everybody learns the basic one.”
According to Bernadine Cattouse she and her common law husband are not responsible for what happened to her daughter. She blames the government.
Bernadine Cattouse,
“They gave me this house like two years now and they haven’t even moved it from the spot. It is on Woods Street, it is not on my land and I was pleading to them and I haven’t gotten no help and so I was trying to help myself. So if anyone out there thinks that this is my fault I am so sorry because I didn’t want my child to be in this situation at this moment.”
Today those were on the scene when the house collapsed praise sixty year old Francis Martinez for the quick actions he took in delivering CPR to Carolyn Cattouse – but didn’t have any such praise for the ambulance service, which they felt didn’t show sufficient urgency with their response.
If the name Bernadine Cattouse sounds familiar that is because in 2008 she lost her daughter Michelle Cattouse after she was shot while walking over Bel-China Bridge following the shootout at the Putt Putt Bar.
