Jamaica Under-17 players injured after freak hotel lift accident in HondurasNine Jamaica Under-17 players were involved in a freak lift accident at the team’s hotel in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, which left several needing treatment.
The players, in Honduras for the Concacaf Under-17 Championship, reportedly entered the lift on the third floor of the Hilton Princess hotel. The lift then plummeted down to the car park on the ground floor, with players having to crawl out of the wreckage.
The head of Jamaica’s delegation, Garfield Fuller, told the Jamaica Observer that two of the players, Demar James and Deshane Beckford, were taken to hospital for x-rays, but that the injuries sustained appeared to be minor.
“The players are pretty scared and frightened and one player mentioned it was like a heart attack because of the pace at which the elevator crashed to the ground,” said Fuller. “We just give God thanks that we didn’t experience the worst.”
Jamaica’s FA president, Captain Horace Burrell, said he had sought legal advice. “I am leaving nothing to chance and will be contacting our legal team because it’s not the fault of the players and we want to be responsible.
“We want to ensure that the players’ welfare is looked after down the road if an injury is experienced and can be substantiated because of this … I don’t want to leave them out on a limb, so I am taking legal steps to ensure that the players’ interests are being protected in a comprehensive way.”
The hotel’s general manager, Anthony Corbin, told the paper: “We were taken aback with what happened and have expressed our concern and also are not shying away from our responsibility in respect to the incident … We are not taking the position to cover up any of this because it’s a reality. We have taken the corrective measure because we are concerned about our guests’ safety. That comes first, so we will be taking the necessary action.
“I hope [we] will be given the opportunity to continue to take care of the team. We have been doing well up to that point, so we will continue to do so or even do better. I can only say that again, we are very sorry that occurred.”