Five killed in road crash

Three families are now mourning the death of five relatives, whose lives were taken in a horrific crash between a taxi and a box truck in Bluefields, Westmoreland, on Monday afternoon.

The five include a mother and her son; a mother and her teenage daughter; and a female passenger, identified as Janet Thompson, who served as cluster manager for the People's National Party in the McAlpine area of Culloden in the Whitehouse division. The only survivor was the taxi driver, who the police say left the scene shortly after they arrived. The accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. along the Bluefields main road.

Police reports state that a gray Toyota Noah taxi was travelling towards Whitehouse, when a vehicle in front of it slowed down at a certain spot. The taxi operator swerved towards the right to avoid a collision, but collided with a box truck travelling in the opposite direction. The impact caused the Noah to careen into a tree, killing three of the passengers on the spot. Two later died at hospital while undergoing treatment.

It was not normal for Thompson, a shopkeeper, to travel by taxi, as her daughter Sabrina Marshall was her official chauffeur.

"Today [Monday], I was unable to take her to purchase goods in Savanna-la-Mar, so she was forced to take a taxi," Marshall told THE STAR, lamenting the death of the woman she described as the family's breadwinner.

Thompson died leaving four children. "She was the rock, the one who kept it together, several people were dependent on her," Marshall added.

Accidents along the Bluefields main road happen quite frequently and commanding officer for the Westmoreland Police Division, Senior Superintendent Wayne Josephs, is urging motorists, particularly public passenger transporters to take extra care on the roadways.

"It is not just their lives in their hands, but the lives of others, so they have to be extra careful. Road users on a whole, especially now going down to Christmas season, there is a lot of madness on the road, so I am appealing all road users," he said. He has also appealed to motorcyclists to wear their helmets because they save lives. Westmoreland is known for having a large number of motorcyclists, several who have lost their lives or limbs in collisions.

According to data from the Island Traffic Authority, as of November 7, 345 road fatalities have been recorded, resulting from 318 fatal collisions. The fatalities represent a 14 per cent decline, while fatal collisions represent a nine per cent reduction when compared to the corresponding period last year. Westmoreland, St Andrew, and St Catherine accounted for the highest number of fatalities to date, while males accounted for 88 per cent of the fatalities. Up to November 7, Westmoreland had 47 fatalities from 51 fatal collisions. Josephs is reminding passengers to use the seatbelts.

"Usually, those sitting in the back are thrown as missiles towards the front during an accident," he cautioned.

Yesterday's deaths follow the fatal collision on the Braco main road in Trelawny last Saturday.

Two women perished in a three-vehicle accident, involving a Kia Sportage, a Toyota Isis and a Kia Sorento. Reports are that the Toyota Isis was travelling from Discovery Bay towards Duncans, when on reaching a section of the road near the Melia Braco Village, the driver overtook a line of traffic and collided with the Kia Sorento that was travelling in the opposite direction. The impact pushed the Toyota Isis into the path of the Kia Sportage, which was travelling from Montego Bay. Both the Isis and the Sportage drivers lost control of their vehicles and ended up in a ditch.

Adrene Gordon, a passenger in the Isis died on the spot; while Heather Stennett, her fellow passenger, died at hospital. The other persons with injuries were admitted to the Falmouth Hospital.