Family of Kiptum's coach Gervais Hakizimana rejects autopsy findings

Uwase Sandrine, the niece of the late Kelvin Kiptum's Rwandese coach, Gervais Hakizimana. IMAGE/ Screen grab

ATHLETICS Family of Kiptum's coach Gervais Hakizimana rejects autopsy findings

Festus Chuma 10:00 - 17.02.2024

The family of Kelvin Kiptum's coach has rejected the autopsy report and demanded a thorough investigation due to discrepancies in injury reports and accident details.

The family of Kelvin Kiptum's coach Gervais Hakizimana has voiced strong objections to the autopsy results released following the tragic accident that claimed both their lives.

An autopsy report disclosed on Wednesday pinpointed intracranial bleeding as the cause of death for 37-year-old Hakizimana. 

This condition results from a ruptured blood vessel inside the brain, leading to internal bleeding. 

Pathologist Dr. Benson Macharia, who conducted the autopsy at Eldoret Hospital, explained that Hakizimana suffered severe head injuries, including skull fractures extending to the base, which were fatal.

"Anytime we have a fracture extending to the skull base, that is a very severe injury, and because of that, he sustained intracranial bleeding which was extensive," Dr. Macharia was quoted by Nation.

Despite the catastrophic nature of the crash, Dr. Macharia noted that other vital organs, such as the heart and liver, appeared unscathed, aside from external injuries like lacerations and bruises across Hakizimana's body.

However, the autopsy findings have not been accepted by Hakizimana's family, who argue that the physical evidence does not align with the described injuries. 

Uwase Sandrine, Hakizimana's niece, expressed the family's skepticism and dissatisfaction with the report. 

"By seeing the body, it was intact except for small lacerations that wouldn't really be a cause of anything. Considering the car that was after the accident and the way it was crushed, we are just wondering how can someone come out of such a car and they don't have at least some wounds because if you see them from outside without entering the car you wouldn't think they came from that accident," she said.

The family's doubt has led them to request a more thorough investigation by the Kenyan government. 

"We requesting the government of Kenya to do thorough investigations because we can say we are not satisfied with the information that we saw," she added.

Meanwhile, the bodies of Kiptum and Hakizimana are preserved at the morgue, with detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) intensifying efforts to ascertain the precise cause of the accident.

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