4-y-o killed after being struck by car

The St James Traffic Department has commenced an investigation surrounding the death of a four-year-old boy, who was mowed down by a car in the Salt Spring community on Wednesday night.

The child has been identified as Omar Lionel Lambert, otherwise called 'Little Messi', of Downey Corner, also in Salt Spring. Reports by the police are that about 8 p.m., Omar and his mother went to meet his father at a section of the Salt Spring road. On seeing his father, Omar reportedly ran from his mother but was hit by a car. The injured child was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he died about 8:30 p.m. The police said that the driver has since been warned for prosecution.

When THE WEEKEND STAR visited Omar's home in Salt Spring on Thursday, several relatives were trying to comfort his mother, Satchell Brown. She said that on Wednesday, Omar's father was returning from St Elizabeth where he had gone to see to his father's funeral arrangements. He called her on his way back and told her that he was not feeling well so she should come and help him with the bags. Brown said that she and Omar were inside the car when the boy saw his dad.

"Just as we got out, he just pull out of my hand and was about to run across towards his father," she said. Brown said that Omar landed on the bonnet of the car after he was hit.

"I began to run behind the car and screamed out to the driver that Omar was still on the bonnet, but he kept on driving. Mi seh 'driver stop, driver stop', because wi want tek him off the bonnet. I just saw when the driver slowed down and him fell off, and go right under the car," she said. Brown said the driver then sped off again.

"All when me an him father a run down the car and a shout out to the driver, him still a drive until mi just see when the car run over mi baby and started to drag him underneath the car," she cried. "At that point everybody start run him down and then him finally stop. All this time Omar still under the car bottom.

"Him dead pon the eve a him grandfather funeral, pon him uncle birthday, seven months after mi bury mi brother an mi nephew. Why? Why? I guess only God know best," Brown said as she broke down.