Last April, a 19 year old Canadian, Cody LeCompte, from Ontario was driving a rented vehicle in Cuba. His mother, uncle and a female Cuban friend were passengers. They were broadsided by a dump truck, sending them all to the hospital with injuries. Cody was informed that, as the driver, he was not allowed to leave Cuba, pending a trial. In Cuba, the traffic accidents involving injury is a crime and the onus is on the driver(s) to prove innocence. Cody arrived home last Friday (August 6th) after posting bail and promising to return for trial. It's believed that the Cuban government bowed to some pressure exerted by the Canadian government. His family is broke and in debt, covering the cost of his accommodations while detained. He is home now but the nightmare is not over yet. He faces a potential three year jail term. I urge all Canadians to boycott travel to Cuba, at least until he is exonerated. It should be a reminder to all of us to check local laws before renting a vehicle in as foreign land. Does anyone know what the laws are in Mexico? Are we running a similar risk renting a vehicle there?
Kid is a moron, he was not old enough to rent a car yet he did. While I personally wouldn`t drive in Cuba the bottom line is he broke the law.
That's a pretty harsh conclusion.... The rental company did provide him with a vehicle with the knowledge that he was 19 and is presumably culpable. I don't know if he was aware that he had to be 21 to rent or drive a vehicle but, nevertheless, his age isn't a factor in this. Simply that he was the driver in an accident where injuries were sustained. It's up to him now to prove he did not the cause of the accident.
The law in Mexico is similar.. if you're driving and have an accident with injury or death you're supposed to be detained until the investigation is cleared up and if charges are brought you'll have to face them.. assuming you don't flee the scene (which most do) or buy your way out of it at the start... They say they were broadsided.. although its equally possible he ran a stop sign or red light... so he could have well been at fault and at 19 he probably didn't have enough experience to be driving in another country anyway. So basically I don't necessarily see Cuba as being the "bad guy" here.... and he may also be liable for damages to the vehicles involved which seems reasonable. I can't help but think of all the accusations that Cancun gets hit with whenever some drunk falls from a balcony or starts a fight... and the families claim they were randomly beaten by mysterious Mexican thugs who roam the streets (and pool areas) of the hotel zone to assault tourists for no reason.... Yes, if you drive in a foreign country you need to understand the laws and make sure you have the good insurance should something happen.
Good points, Life. The media here is certainly presuming innocence, based on interviews with Cody and his family, but as you suggest that may not be the case. Thanks for the info on Mexican law. Personally, I'll stick to cabs.
