Kiptum's coach Hazikimana bled to death, autopsy reveals
From left: Ntakirutimana Christine, sister of the late Gervais Hakizamana, who died in a road accident at Flax on the Eldoret-Kaptagat-Eldama Ravine road on Sunday night, Hakizimana’s widow, Joan Chelimo, and Ntakirutimana’s daughter Uwase Sandrine, before receiving of the post-mortem report at Eldoret Hospital Mortuary in Uasin Gishu County on February 16, 2024.
What you need to know:
- He also sustained fractures on the skull, both on the left and right and the roof of the head extending to the skull base.
Coach Gervais Hakizimana, who passed away on Sunday alongside world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum in an accident along the Eldoret-Ravine Road, died of intracranial bleeding.
A post-mortem conducted on Wednesday on the body of the coach, who will be laid to rest on Wednesday in Kigali, Rwanda, revealed that he bled to death after suffering head injuries in the accident.
Pathologist Dr Benson Macharia said the coach sustained serious injuries in the accident that led to his death.
Macharia was speaking after releasing the autopsy report to the family at the Eldoret Hospital on Friday.
He said the post-mortem was conducted on Wednesday in the presence of the investigating officers and other interested parties.
He said that the Hakizimana had laceration on the left ear, bruises on the forehead, another bruise on the nasal region and several others on the body.
He also sustained fractures on the skull, both on the left and right and the roof of the head extending to the skull base.
“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. I made a conclusion that his death was due to intracranial bleeding which is consistent with motor vehicle accidents,” said Macharia.
The doctor also said all the other body organs - heart and liver included - were normal.
Uwase Sandrine, coach Hazikimana's niece, said they were satisfied with the report after witnessing the procedure on Wednesday.
“When we arrived in Kenya, we visited the scene of the accident, and they explained to us how it happened, but as a family we are not satisfied with the investigations. Considering the way the car crashed, we are wondering how one survived the accident without major injuries," Uwase said.
“As a family we are going to take back the body to Rwanda but we ask the government of Kenya to follow the matter and dig deeper on their investigations and get to know what really happened,” added Uwase, who was in the company of her mother Christine Ntakirutimana and brother, Boniface Nsengiyumva.
Ntakirutimana is coach Hazikimana's sister.
The remains of the coach will leave Eldoret for Nairobi via Jambo Jet on Saturday afternoon, then proceed to Kigali via Rwanda Air at 8.50pm. The flight is expected to arrive in Kigali at 9.30pm on Saturday.
