The body of Nalini DeAgrella, who leapt to her death from the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) early this morning, was recovered in the Kingston area, several hours later.
A mother of five, DeAgrella, 40, of Lot 26, Independence Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was reported to have jumped off the DHB into the Demerara River shortly after 1 am. The police stated that her husband Leroy DeAgrella also jumped into the river, in a failed attempt to rescue her. He was rescued and subsequently admitted to hospital.
The police stated that initial investigations revealed that the woman and her husband reportedly had an argument while crossing the bridge in their motor vehicle. She requested that her husband stop the vehicle and then jumped off the bridge into the river, police said.
Police sources told Stabroek News that the matter is being thoroughly investigated since the woman’s husband gave conflicting accounts of the events which led to the woman ending up in the river.
The woman’s body surfaced along the right bank of the river in the vicinity of the jetty in Kingston around 10 am. Her body is now at the Lyken’s Funeral Home and a post mortem–examination is expected to be performed later this week.
According to relatives of the DeAgrellas, the duo travelled to the city on Monday evening to celebrate St Valentine’s Day together. An uncle told Stabroek News that the two were on their way back to La Grange when the incident occurred in the vicinity of the retractor span, along the harbour bridge.
Leroy, according to a relative, stated that on the way from the city to the bridge, Nalini indicated that she wanted to use the washroom and he told her that he would have hurried across to La Grange. The relative said that as the vehicle neared the retractor span and as the traffic appeared “dead,” Nalini asked her husband to stop the car. Leroy reportedly said that the woman got out of the car and proceeded to the rails along the bridge. A passing motorist stopped close to the scene and advised him that “someone deh in the river.” The relative said that Leroy got out of the car and leapt behind to rescue his wife.
After his attempts failed, help was then sought from staff at the DHB to rescue him and he was later pulled to shore and rushed to the Diamond Hospital. He was subsequently taken to the Providence Police Station for questioning but was readmitted to the hospital around lunchtime after his condition worsened. Relatives noted that Leroy had taken in “a considerable amount of salt water” and late today his condition was reported as stable.
Persons who witnessed the incident told this newspaper early this morning that traffic was brought to a crawl along the bridge as rescuers attempted to pull the couple to shore.
At the family’s home at La Grange, relatives and friends gathered to support the grieving family. Her family noted that Nalini appeared spritely during the day on Monday and one relative noted that she had “dress up since during the day” as she prepared to go out that evening. “She even bring out the chocolate bar she husband buy for Valentines,” the relative noted. They said that the woman’s eldest child, her 21-year old daughter, was out of town. While Nalini’s mother passed away several years ago, her father suffered a stroke sometime ago and could not speak.
Neighbours said that Nalini had suffered from a nervous breakdown a few years ago after giving birth and it was noted that she was recently admitted to the hospital in relation to “a nerves problem.” A neighbour said that the woman appeared in high spirits on Monday and as such she expressed surprise at her sudden death.
