Victim’s family speaks in wake of Labour Day tragedy

Victim’s family speaks in wake of Labour Day tragedy
From left: Patricia Rolle and Mario Williams, sister and brother of Tami Gibson, speak to Eyewitness News.

In the wake of the national tragedy which occurred on Labour Day, that claimed the lives of four unionists, the family of one of the victims spoke candidly with Eyewitness News to give an account of the horror they faced during and after the tragic ordeal.

Tami Gibson was among the casualties from the June 1 Labour Day tragedy which took place on East Street North.

Ironically, Gibson’s sister Patricia Rolle, was only a few feet away from her sibling when the tragedy unfolded.

“I was only a few feet away, but I had no idea that Tami was one of the casualties that day,” recalled Rolle.

“I was by the old Love 97 building watching the parade. She has just spoken to me when she passed. She hailed me and my grandbaby.

“But I had no idea that when I hailed her on that parade, that it would have been the last time I would have seen her alive.”

Rolle was comforted by her brother, Mario Williams, during the interview.

They both remember Gibson as a loving and caring individual.

Gibson was a twin and, according to Willimas, shared an inseparable bond with her twin sister Tanya.

“She had a bond with her sister, that was her twin, they were together most of the time. They did everything together,” shared Williams.

But on that ill-fated day, Gibson and Tanya were not together.

Williams said Gibson’s tragic and sudden passing has left two households torn.

“She took care of Tanya’s children like they were hers, and vice versa, and that’s why it hurts Tanya and her children just as much as it hurts Tami’s husband and children,” he said.

Williams recalled the events of that dreadful day.

“All the phones started lighting up and everyone was saying ‘call Tami,’ because they found out the group that was involved in the accident was the group that she was with,” he shared.

“It was right after they said they couldn’t get her on her cellphone, so we dropped what we were doing and dashed in our cars down to the hospital.

“When we got there, we started asking around if anyone had seen Tami. As time went on, with no luck of finding Tami, we got a weariness in our soul and had a feeling that things would not turn out right.”

Gibson is mourned by her husband, three children, and 15 siblings.

Her family expressed gratitude to the Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) for the help they provided at the scene of the accident.

“I would like to say that you to the nurses’ union who was immediately in front of the BFSU who turned back and gave their assistance, along with the bystanders, they all did a fantastic job at the scene,” said Rolle.

Gibson’s family visited the morgue Monday to officially identify her body.

The family expects to lay Tami Gibson to rest within the next two weeks.

About Theo Sealy

Theo Sealy is an award-winning journalist who serves as senior broadcast reporter and weekend TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. He has achieved several career milestones, including his work as a field contributor with CNN, his coverage of four consecutive general elections, his production of several docuseries and his Bahamas Press Club Awards win for “Best Television News Story” in 2018.