Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has stated that the Tobago House of Assembly is exercising caution in responding to a pre-action protocol letter from attorneys representing the Jogie family following the death of seven-year-old Angelica Jogie during a jet ski incident in the Pigeon Point Heritage Park in April.
The THA was requested to accept liability for failing to impose restrictions on jet ski activities while in full knowledge of the risks. It was delivered to the Assembly on July 15th, and they were given 28 days to respond.
However, Mr Augustine said the THA requested a one-month extension to prepare its response.
“I don’t want people to go away saying that the THA has a deadline for a settlement. The court… there is no such order by any court. All we have right now are exchanges of communication between the two lawyers. We were given a pre-action protocol letter. I have asked for that to be extended by a month so that our response will be well advised by council and they can be guaranteed that they can get an appropriate response from the Tobago House of Assembly.”
On April 8th, 2026, Angelica Jogie was bathing on the beach with her family when a jet ski crashed into the group. Angelica died shortly after, while several family members sustained injuries.
The jet ski was driven by 33-year-old Ashworth Burnett from Canaan, who is currently facing manslaughter charges in relation to the incident.
In response, the THA sought to ban all jet ski activities within the Pigeon Point Heritage Park and the Buccoo Marine Park, while a Bill to manage Tobago Marine Parks was sent to Parliament. The Bill is meant to give the THA powers to regulate what activities can occur within the Park.