Heroes Day tragedy
FIVE people were killed and another three seriously injured when a Toyota Corolla motor car rammed into the side of a van on the Osbourne Store main road in Clarendon yesterday in one of the worst National Heroes Day tragedies on record.
The police, who blamed the accident on dangerous and reckless driving, said the driver of the Corolla, registered 1523 DU, was attempting to overtake a line of traffic when he lost control and hit a Nissan Vanette, registered 8716 BT. The accident happened at about 8:10 am.
Police gave the names of the dead as:
. James Stanley, driver of the Corolla. Stanley, also known as Sydney Cooper, resided at Redding in St James.
. Dadrian Patterson, an 18-year-old HEART Academy student, and a resident of East Kirkland Heights in St Andrew. Patterson, who was Stanley’s grand-daughter, was a passenger in the Corolla.
. Lola Dwyer of Spanish Town, St Catherine;
. Handel Smith, also of Spanish Town; and
. Jacqueline Clarke of Portmore, St Catherine.
Smith and Dwyer, who were among persons pinned down in the van, died before being cut loose from the mangled wreckage by firefighters.
The injured were identified as:
. Dionette Dwyer-Chin, of Spanish Town, St Catherine;
. Paul McBean, 46, a resident of Glen Drive, Kingston; and his grandson
. Jermaine McBean, also of Glen Drive.
All three were admitted to hospital with multiple injuries.
Last night, police said that Dwyer-Chin and Jermaine McBean were in serious condition and were transferred to the Kingston Public Hospital.
Paul McBean was in stable condition.
Jacqueline Clarke and Dionette Dwyer-Chin were co-workers at Burger King in Portmore. Police said that Dwyer-Chin, who was driving the Vanette, was on her way to Spaldings to visit her son when the accident occurred.