Canadian free to leave Cuba to attend son's funeral

Canadian free to leave Cuba to attend son's funeral
Justine Davis, stuck in Cuba after her son died while they vacationed,
will return to Canada for his funeral. Nadia Matos reports.
Published Thursday, February 6, 2014 12:42PM EST
Last Updated Thursday, February 6, 2014 3:53PM EST

A Toronto woman who feared she'd miss the funeral for her three-year-old
son has been told she will be allowed to leave Cuba and return home.
Justine Davis's son, Cameron, was killed six weeks ago while he and his
mother were visiting Cayo Largo, off the main Cuban island. The pair was
travelling on a scooter when it collided with a truck. Davis was injured
in the crash; Cameron was killed.
Justine Davis and her son Cameron are seen in this undated photo.
(Cameron Davis Foundation)
Cuban law enforcement officials told Davis she wouldn't be allowed to
leave the country while they investigated the accident. With Cameron's
funeral scheduled for Saturday, the Toronto mother feared she wouldn't
be able to return home to attend.
But on Thursday, Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and
Consular, tweeted that Cuban officials had decided to allow Davis to
leave the country.
"I personally appealed to #Cuba to request help on Ms. Davis's case on
compassionate grounds," Yelich tweeted. "Pleased to relay that Ms. Davis
is free to leave #Cuba. We appreciate Cuba's efforts to resolve this
situation."
In a statement later emailed to CTV News, Yelich's spokesperson said
that Canadian consular officials will continue to help Davis "to
facilitate her return home to her loved ones in Canada."
Davis's friend Amber Hussey also sent an email to CTV News and other
news outlets confirming the news and adding that it's unclear when Davis
will be returning. But she said the hope is that Davis will be back by
Saturday.
"We are absolutely overjoyed by her pending return, but it is coupled
with the deep sadness and grief that Cameron will not be hand-in-hand
with her as well. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Hussey wrote.
Hussey then asks that Davis be given time to adjust upon her return "and
continue her healing."
The federal government's travel website says that traffic accidents in
Cuba are a frequent cause of arrest and detention of Canadians. It says
road accidents resulting in death or injury are treated as crimes, with
the onus on the driver to prove innocence.
According to the website, it can take five months to a year for a case
to go to trial, and in most cases, the driver is not allowed to leave
the country until a trial has taken place.

Source: Canadian free to leave Cuba to attend son's funeral | CTV News -
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-free-to-leave-cuba-to-attend-son-s-funeral-1.1673623