If you follow the news, Javier Herron’s name may sound familiar. He’s the Toledo man whose name sprung into national headlines in July of 2006 when he lost an eye – and two noted ophthalmologists publicly differed on whether that eye could have been saved with an adequate response form the KHMH. And while the rare professional dispute took center stage,
Javier Herron’s plight played out behind the curtains. He did lose that eye but really that’s the least of his problems.
The reason Herron lost the eye in the first place was because he was doing mechanical labour with a damaged brain. And how his brain got damaged in the first place is the real story. In October of 2005 he was riding a motorcycle on the Southern Highway when a drunk driver knocked him down. That drunk driver was an employee of the government of Belize and he was driving a government vehicle. Since then, the once productive and industrious Herron has been reduced to a shadow of his former self. He can’t work; he hardly remembers how to read and write and has great difficulty completing even simple tasks.
He expected to get compensation from government, compensation that would reflect the fact that this former mechanic can’t work anymore. Well, yesterday the government offered Herron $4,000 to settle out of court. He told us that when he heard the offer he almost went postal.
Javier Herron, Lost Eye in Accident
“My reaction just made me feel like laying down and somebody take away my life or me to hold a weapon against anybody that comes close to me. That is all I think about. I am not comfortable with what is taking place in my life at the moment.”
Jules Vasquez,
Could you explain what sort of difficulties you have everyday since this accident?
Javier Herron,
“Since this accident the headache keeps and I use ibuprofen 800 mg and I can’t sleep if I don’t take the amitripline to relax my body and sleep and also if I stoop down for more than ten seconds, the pressure goes up to my head and I keep swaying. I can’t stay sit down one place for too long because my body keeps swaying. I can move around but I cannot lift no weight because when I lift the weight, there is a pressure that goes up to my head and it kind of leaves me unbalanced. So I can do several little things but the lifting of weight, not even my machete, lift up any tools, and the names of tools – I haven’t recovered all the equipments that I used to use.
I feel that because I am the oldest of a family and I feel that when I used to teach my kids, its like people come by and they need to teach me all over. I feel like I am a baby, like someone just stepping up into life.”
Jules Vasquez,
So you forgot how to read even, all these basic skills?
Javier Herron,
“I even forgot how to write and spell my name.”
Herron’s attorney will formally reject the offer and we’ll tell you what happens after that.
