THE JAMAICA Public Service Company says it is not responsible for installing a utility pole, which fell on Friday and killed Hampton High School student, Cherice Raymond, and injured two other first formers.
Cherice died of injuries suffered on Friday around 2:30 p.m. when a delivery truck became entangled in the wires of a pole which broke and fell on her and two other students.
Cherice and Samara Vasciana were taken to the Mandeville Public Hospital, where Cherice died while undergoing treatment and Samara, who reportedly has a fractured skull, was admitted. The third student, Saran Robinson, was treated and sent home.
JPSCo. said in a statement at the weekend that the pole and service wire were privately installed and that the company was investigating the incident because of its responsibility for the "overall supply of electricity to customers (and)...to ensure that there were no further repercussions from Friday's incident."
Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, Winsome Callum, JPSCo's corporate relations manager, said a safety team had been sent to the school and had ascertained that there were no live wires "to cause further problems such as electrocution."
Attorney, Donna Parchment, chairman of Hampton, said the school would also be carrying out investigations into last Friday's accident.
Yesterday, Ms. Parchment told The Gleaner she was unable to confirm or deny statements that the utility pole had been privately installed without ascertaining further details.
But that and reported threats of being sued for negligence by Cherice's parents, Winston and Dahlia Raymond, are not the only concerns of Hampton's administrators.
Ms. Parchment said that at the forefront of their minds was making sure that Hampton's remaining 802 students receive the counselling and support that they need after witnessing the freak accident which injured the two 12-year-olds and killed Cherice.
