Blocked for 52 days in Cuba after a small car accident

Michel Jaquet a contractor from Freibourg was blocked 52 days in Cuba after a small car accident.

He said "the cuban authorities were very correct. The problem is the enormous slowness of the system."
Michel Jaquet, a contractor of 56 years old from Grolley (FR), was held back for 52 days in Cuba, in the town of Camaguey, located at 650 kilometer south-east of Havana, the capital of the country.
Reason for this blockage: a small car accident that occurred three days before the end of his stay.
A mishap which started an administrative maze.

Source:
Retenu 52 jours à Cuba!
Michel Jaquet
Michel Jaquet, entrepreneur fribourgeois, a été bloqué 52 jours à Cuba à la suite d'un banal accident de voiture
Stéphane Berney - 18/05/2007
Le Matin
Le Matin article in French
Electronic translation to English

Wow what is it about Camagüey - and this is my town! A death of a Belgium tourist and the detention of a French tourist. Staying in Havana is clearly the solution.
Cheers
john

the waiting is now for E_Armand to classify this post as anti-cuba propaganda (with links to posts showing that car accidents also do occur in the US).

Actually...this is probably a bit more disturbing. The Le Matin article (which is Swiss and not French) quotes Michel Jaquet as saying that the Cuban authorities were "very courteous" ("très correctes" in French).

It appears that the problem Mr Jaquet encountered was the extremely slow speed at which the Cuban bureaucracy dealt with his case -- not that unusual for many countries around the world but clearly unacceptable regardless of where it occurs.

52 days delay in cuba is no trivial matter. Especially for an accident
that is not the drivers fault.
I drive a lot in cuba and dread the possibility of an accident. Cuban
friends never understand the risks you take, and why you drive slower
and more cautiously than the tourists that come for 2 weeks and
don't know any better.

If you purchase the "additional insurance" then I think this siutation would have been resolved a lot sooner...it's a question of liability...

#2 - how true. He is getting as bad as another poster who thinks he has to justify every post made on this site. :-)

I used to drive a rental car in Cuba but no more. Cubans and animals don’t know how to walk on the right side of the highway and think it’s their bed at night. I have always maintained a car is a liability in Cuba though sometimes I wouldn't mind staying an extra 52 days, lol

I always take the insurance offered. I have never been offered anything else.
Is there "additional insurance" beyond what they offer that can be purchased?

Did that guy not have adequate insurance?

If something like this was posted on the USA branch, it would be DELETED quickly.

There is an apparent double-standard on Thorntree that permits this type of AntiCuban TROLL, simply.

quote from #2: "the waiting is now for E_Armand to classify this post as anti-cuba propaganda"

YES, YES, YES he did post!!!!!
#9, thank you for being so predictable.

The OP is a fairly uncommon occurrence, but it does happen. Car accidents are the #1 reason Canadians are detained in Cuba.

You can be insured to the hilt, but that's immaterial if there's extenuating circumstances regarding the accident and there's a chance you committed a criminal offence. All the insurance in the world won't keep you out of prison if you were driving dangerously and injured someone. If you broke any traffic law your insurance is null and void, and all expenses come out of your pocket. Many Canadians sit in jail while arrangements are made to pay damages.

Charges are not laid until the completion of the investigation, and this can take a looooong time. There is no bail, no innocent until proven guilty, and no diplomatic regulation that allows immediate personal contact with the Embassy - they can hold you for 3 weeks before they have to allow an Embassy official to visit you.

That said, renting a car is one of my favourite things to do in Cuba. It's by far the best way to see the country.

Cheers,
Terry

Belgian woman given a 3 year sentence in Cuba for traffic accident

Elke Willemsen, 3 years old, worked as a tourist guide in Cuba.
While driving near Varadero a tire on her car exploded making her lose
control of the car and in the ensuing accident a 73 year old Cuban man died.

That was the start of her ordeal.
After first being convicted to 3 years in jail, on appeal she was now
sentenced to a "conditional" sentence of 3 years. She is not to go to
jail, but is not allowed to leave the country.

When asked whether they felt their daughter got a fair trial in
February, they replied:

"Absolutely not. A tourist in front of a court is a complete show in
Cuba. The whole village came to see the spectacle. That has probably
turned the judge's head. Our daughter did have a decent lawyer,
president of the local bar to no avail. Immediately after the accident a
blood sample was taken which showed that our daughter had not been
drinking. Witnesses also stated that the accident was not her fault.
Notwithstanding this evidence the judge gave her such a harsh sentence:
three years prison, though no fine. '

On appeal this sentence has now been turned in to a "suspended sentence
for three years", but Elke is not allowed to leave the country during
that period. She is a virtual prisoner on the island as the result of an
accident that was in no way her fault.
She is currently staying with friends near Varadero and is said to be
depressed and suffering weight loss.

Local initiatives have been started to support Elke and her family
including the launch of a CD the profits of which will go to Elke.

Another Belgian citizen, Nick Debuck, has also been detained in Cuba
after a car accident.

Source: (Dutch)
Source

So the moral of the story is....Don't F3cking drive in Cuba.

I couldn't tolerate Cuba if I didn't have the freedom of the open road and a set of tiny Peugot wheels under me. If, on top of everything else, I had to deal with the restrictions, hassles, delays and all the rest that is part and parcel of public transportation in Cuba, I just wouldn't go. Hell, I couldn't even get to half the places I regularly go there.

Have you noticed cubans often step onto the roadway and then look for traffic.?
Either that or they look the wrong way before proceeding. Some people never look.
They just assume you will stop.
You have to learn to use your horn a lot like the cubans do, but they don't
have the same respect for a tourist vehicle. They know you won't hit them.
Their reaction to your honk can be pretty funny sometime.

This poor guy has to hang around for 52 days for a minor accident, yet Smeb posted a pic (on the old G.S.) of the speedometer on his rental car reading 165 km/hr with the cup holders filled with opened Bucaneros! Is there no justice? Or do the Orishas have something special planned for someone so foolhardy?

Hey, this CUBAN driver ended up being detained for quite a few more than 52 days ...

Fidel Castro and his chauffeur were cruising along a country road in Las Villas one day when a pig ran out in front of their car. The chauffeur tried to avoid it, but couldn't, and the pig was killed. The dictator ordered the driver to go to the bohio and explain to the owners what had happened. About an hour later the chauffeur staggered back to the jeep with his clothes in total disarray. He was holding a bottle of rum in one hand, a cigar in the other and smiling happily.

”What happened?," asked Fidel.

"Well," the chauffeur replied, "the guajiro gave me the rum, his wife gave me the cigar, and their beautiful daughter made mad, passionate love to me."

"My God, what did you tell them?" asked Fidel.

The driver replied, "I said, 'I'm Fidel Castro's chauffeur, and I just killed the pig'."

I'll stick to Yucca's advice and put something nice between my legs.... a bicycle.