A family grieves A family grieves © Copyright by The Royal Gazette Ltd Bermuda, January 15, 2000 The following is taken from a statement written by the parents of road accident victim Catrin Schaefer. We need not point out that the cause of this court case has been a traumatic and deeply painful experience for our family and friends and has left an indelible scar on our lives. Catrin was our only child and had grown up over the last twenty-three years within the family home. She was a keen sportswoman and also a passionate horse-rider, competing in numerous tournaments. After her eighteenth birthday she completed her school examinations for university and at the same time passed her driving test and had her first car. Her driving licence was unblemished until the day she died. Her studies at the University of Dusseldorf began as she was nineteen and the Marine Biology course she was attending at the Bermuda Biological Station was to be the last course work before commencing her final year Diploma thesis to obtain her degree. She was a good, conscientious student and well liked by her colleagues and professors. The death of Catrin on September 27, 1998 has robbed us of a daughter who was a happy, friendly person enjoying life to the full with a positive attitude and understanding for a "busy" father. Since her death our lives have been changed irreversibly. The loss of our daughter has not only destroyed one life but the soul of an entire family. Irrespective of the outcome of this trial, nothing will of course will bring back our daughter, we would wish however that justice be done and that the defendant receives the sentence he deserves, no more and no less. If this can act as a serious deterrent to prevent even one more death caused by drinking and driving on the roads of Bermuda then the death of our daughter will not have been in vain. For Ludwig and Irene Schaefer. Return to article overview.