Autopsy reveals truth about Javannie Thompson, who collapsed on football field in Old Harbour

This was the situation when friends of a youthful and energetic Javannie ‘Jason’ Thompson, a resident of New Harbour Village III, were unable to bring him back to life after he collapsed on the New Harbour Village II community playfield on the morning of January 9, 2022.

During the friendly match amongst the neighbouring community members, Thompson gave chase to a loose ball. He gave the ball a good whack it is said before falling immediately to the ground afterwards.

Almost instantly the game stopped with players rushing towards Thompson, who lied motionless. Panic immediately set in as cries rang out for help. Big men wept openly as Thompson who was just moments ago here with them enjoying his favourite sport, was gone for good into the afterlife.

Many questions among a plethora of theories surfaced. ‘Did he take the vaccine?’ was the most common among speculators, because he was indeed fully vaccinated. There was the quite laughable theory that Jamaicans love to proffer that he was smacked by a ghost. Then there was the more plausible scenario of him possibly suffering from a heart attack.

When the official cause of death of the 25-year-old late Sagicor employee was disclosed to the family no one would have perhaps thought of this outcome.

On the official post mortem report and official burial order, the latter Old Harbour News had examined, it was revealed Thompson died of a “blunt trauma” to his “head and neck”.

While this conclusion may come as a surprise to many, such incidents are common occurrence in not only motor vehicle collisions but sports and people falling, even the types that seem quite innocuous which was the case in how Thompson fell. 

Based on further readings on pathology, Thompson’s injury that caused his untimely death may have resulted from one or multiple injuries to his cerebrovascular, trachea, larynx, and oesophagus.

It will not be odd either that opposing views will remain regarding the cause of death in Thompson’s case despite hard evidence of an autopsy report. But what will certainly gain broad consensus is that this bizarre mishap was unfortunate, his death ill-timed and came way, way too soon.

A thanksgiving service in memory of the former Calabar High School student was held on March 11 at the United Pentecostal Church, Waterhouse, Kingston 11. His body was interred at a family plot in Maggoty, St Elizabeth.