Four Years After Mother's Day Crash That Killed Andre Simon, Driver Kenyatta Benjamin Set for High Court Arraignment on June 30

Four years after a collision on a Mother's Day training ride shattered the Antigua and Barbuda cycling community and ultimately claimed the life of one of its most beloved members, the man accused of causing that crash is finally headed for arraignment before the High Court.

Kenyatta Benjamin, a Hatton man, appeared before Justice Ann Marie Smith on Monday, when the court set June 30 as the date for his arraignment on the charge of dangerous driving. Should he enter a not guilty plea, the matter will be scheduled for trial.

The Mother's Day Crash That Shook Cycling Community in Antigua and Barbuda

The charge against Benjamin arises from a collision along Sir George Walter Highway on Mother's Day in May 2022. Prosecutors allege that his vehicle struck four cyclists who were participating in a training ride — Andre Simon, Sean Weathered, Ghere Coates, and Tiziano Rosignoli. All four were taken to hospital following the impact.

Weathered, Coates, and Rosignoli later recovered and were discharged. Simon was not as fortunate. He suffered catastrophic injuries including severe head trauma and internal bleeding. The 36-year-old father of one spent several weeks in the Intensive Care Unit at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre before being airlifted to TIRR Memorial Hermann in Texas on July 2, 2022, for specialised treatment.

Simon died in the United States approximately 13 months after the crash while still undergoing medical care.

Justice Long in Coming

For a cycling community that has mourned Andre Simon deeply and waited patiently for the justice system to run its course, the June 30 arraignment date represents a significant — if long overdue — step forward. The crash took place in May 2022. Simon died in August 2023. It is now June 2026. The wheels of justice have moved slowly, and the pain of the Simon family and the wider cycling community has been compounded by the passage of time.

The urgency of that wait has only grown sharper in the days since Tahjé Browne — himself a national cycling standout who finished on the podium at the recent OECS Championships — was struck on Sir Sydney Walling Highway on June 20 by a driver who then fled the scene. That driver, Vincentian national Kishroy Harry, was arrested at the airport attempting to leave the country and charged with dangerous driving, driving without the owner's consent, driving without a licence, and driving without insurance.

The near-simultaneous advancement of the Benjamin case to the High Court, arriving in the same week as Harry's arrest and arraignment, has focused Antigua and Barbuda's attention on a pattern that the cycling community has long been raising: cyclists training on the island's public roads are not safe, and accountability for those who harm them has been painfully slow to arrive.

Benjamin is expected back before the High Court on June 30.

The Simon family, their lawyer, and the cycling fraternity will be watching closely.