Driver of van in Heroes Day crash dies in hospital; death toll now 6
DIONETTE Dwyer-Chin, driver of the ill-fated Nissan Vannette in Monday’s car crash at Osbourne Store in Clarendon, died yesterday.
Dwyer-Chin, who succumbed to her injuries yesterday morning in the Kingston Public Hospital, pushed the death toll in the accident to six.
She is the third member of her family to have died as a result of the traffic accident as her mother, Lola Dwyer and her brother, Handel Smith also perished in the accident.
Yesterday, workers at the Portmore Parkway branch of the Burger King chain of fast food store, where Dwyer-Chin was employed as a senior assistant manager, were in a sombre mood as they grieved the untimely passing of their colleagues.
Branch manager, Omelda Barrett, said Dwyer-Chin was easy to get along with. “She was a jovial person who was always hardworking and loved her job. It is very sad,” Barrett told the Observer.
Dwyer-Chin is the second Burger King employee to die as a result of the accident.
Workers at the Braeton branch of the fast food chain, where Jacqueline Clarke who died in the same accident Monday, were also in a sad mood.
The Heroes Day collision was one of two fatal accidents to occur in Clarendon in 24 hours. Traffic police say speeding and reckless driving caused both fatal collisions.
According to the police, Adrian Farquarson, a 16-year-old student of Bustamante High, was killed in an accident on the Halse Hall main road yesterday morning. Three other teenagers were injured in the accident.
The police said a white Toyota Corolla, licensed 2577 EV, ploughed into another car of the same make after the driver, Jedran Barrett, allegedly attempted to overtake a line of traffic. The incident occurred about 8:30 yesterday morning.
Farquarson’s death brings to 28 the number of traffic fatalities in Clarendon since the start of the year.
Head of the police traffic department in Clarendon, Sergeant Adolph Ewart, said the stretch of road between Sandy Bay and Toll Gate is the main ‘black spot’ in the parish.
“The area is usually manned by patrol cars from May Pen and motorcycle police from Four Paths, but some users of the road are just indisciplined and because other motorists flash their lights to warn of police check points they will slow down and then speed up when the pass us,” Sergeant Ewart told the Observer.