3 family members killed in Trelawny crash
DUNCANS, Trelawny — Three male members of a family died from injuries they sustained in a motor vehicle collision along the Duncans bypass road in Trelawny yesterday morning.
The deceased have been identified as 54-year-old Delroy Clarke and Leon Salmon both of St Ann addresses; and Leslie Murray of a New York, USA address.
Reports are that yesterday morning about 7:30, a Toyota Axio motorcar, which was transporting family members to the Sangster International Airport, developed a skid along the Duncans bypass road in Trelawny and the driver lost control of the vehicle, which then swerved across the road and slammed into a Nissan Urvan mini van travelling in the opposite direction.
Two people onboard the car died on the spot, while the other died at the Falmouth Public General Hospital.
A baby was among seven injured people rushed to the hospital, all reportedly in serious condition.
Five of the injured admitted at hospital were passengers in the minibus, while two were travelling in the motorcar.
The Jamaica Observer was told that the injured had to be cut from the mangled remains of the Toyota motorcar.
Body parts, including two feet severed from one of the deceased, were among chunks of flesh strewn in blood, pieces of glass and steel on the floor with twisted remains of the car.
One man who claimed that he was an eyewitness to the crash, theorised that the car might have developed the skid because the road was wet as a result of a brief shower early yesterday morning.
Motorists plying the highway in the vicinity of the crash were diverted through Duncans as the police temporarily blocked off the road to facilitate the Accident Reconstruction team.
Meanwhile, curious early- morning onlookers thronged one side of the road to get view of the horrific scene before the bodies and the wrecked vehicles were eventually removed.
Bereaved family members of the dead and wounded were too overwhelmed with grief to give an interview.
However, the Observer was informed that among those onboard the motorcar were family members who were heading to catch a flight at the airport after attending a funeral in St Ann on Saturday.
In the meantime, the death of the three pushes number of motor vehicle accident victims to 229 since the start of the year, in comparison to the 217, at the same time last year.
And, on Saturday, 22-year-old Neish Freckleton of Gregory Park, St Catherine was involved in collision on the Gregory Park main road in the parish which claimed his life.
Reports from the Caymanas Police are that about 11:30 am Freckleton was driving a Zhujuang motorcycle with a pillion aboard. It is alleged that he attempted to overtake a JUTC bus travelling in the same direction. He reportedly lost control of the vehicle and collided in the rear section of the bus. Freckleton and the pillion were taken to hospital where Freckleton was pronounced dead and the pillion admitted in stable condition.