Just 17 and she’s no more

“Deandra is with the Lord…in a better place. This is what comforts us,” said a grieving father, trying to come to terms with the terrible reality- the sudden death of their loving daughter. Deandra Koch, a 17-year-old student of Royal Institute died after a motorbike accident last Sunday.

“My three children were returning after church from Dehiwela that evening. They were travelling on three different motorbikes- Deandra and her boyfriend Jason on the bike in front, Andre (Deandra’s elder brother) with one of his friends on the second bike, and my younger daughter Melinda with Jason’s brother on the bike behind. They had passed the Keells roundabout at Bellantara and were approaching the Pepiliyana junction along the main road when they suddenly found a ‘staff service’ bus coming from a gravel lane in front of them,” said Deandra’s father Roger Koch.

According to Deandra’s brother Andre, who was an eyewitness to the incident, the bike on which Deandra and Jason were travelling had hit the bus which appeared in front of them suddenly. Deandra and Jason were thrown off the bike on to the hard tarred road.

Passersby had then stopped a trishaw to rush them to Kalubowila hospital. Deandra’s younger sister Melinda, who went in the trishaw with her to hospital said Deandra was bleeding from her mouth and breathing hard at that time. Meanwhile, Deandra’s parents who were at home had had a call from Andre. “Dada, there has been an accident, two people are injured. Can you come to the Kalubowila hospital?” he had said. The father was told that Deandra and Jason had met with an accident but that they were both conscious.

After receiving emergency treatment at the Kalubowila hospital, Deandra was transferred to the National Hospital for further treatment but died the same day. The postmortem revealed that she had severe internal bleeding, injuries in the chest and that her lungs had collapsed. Jason suffered fractures on his shoulder, ribs and the leg and is still under treatment.

At her Nugegoda home last Wednesday, the family was still unable to think of a future without Deandra. On November 28 Deandra would have been 18 years old, said her mother Mignonne sadly.

Showing us the last painting Deandra had done, and the trophy she received when she was placed first at the all island speech and drama competition, Mignonne said her daughter was multi-talented and had shone in painting, speech and drama etc. “She loved to dress well,” she added, holding her daughter’s photograph close to her.

An A/Level student of Royal Institute, Deandra was studying psychology. “Initially she was interested in becoming a vet, but later, she decided to switch courses and do psychology,” her parents said.

Trying hard to cope with their devastating loss, the family spoke of their heartfelt gratitude to their friends and relatives who had been with them in their hour of need and the generosity of the trishaw driver who rushed Deandra to the hospital. “He refused the money that was offered to him and even came to the funeral parlour. We wish we had some contact with him,” they said.