By John Myers, Freelance WriterMAY PEN:
A THREE-VEHICLE accident along the Toll Gate main road, Clarendon, yesterday morning claimed four lives and left eleven others injured.
The dead have been identified as Tameka Simpson, 20, of Junction, St. Elizabeth; Frederick Vassell, 21, of Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth; Jermaine Hanson from Burnt Ground, St. Elizabeth and another male identified only as "Karey", a 17-year-old student. His address was not ascertained.
There are conflicting reports about the sequence of events. According to Corporal Abner Callaghan of the Area III Highway Patrol, the accident occurred about 11:30 a.m. when the driver of one of two trucks travelling towards Mandeville slowed to make a right turn. The other truck slammed into its rear pushing it into the path of a Toyota Hiace mini-bus going in the opposite direction.
The impact flipped the mini-bus on its side forcing it to skid for several metres along the road.
Sebert Miller, driver of the mini-bus told The Gleaner that he saw the driver of a blue truck trying to go around a red Leyland dumper truck and when he saw what was about to happen, he attempted to veer to the side to get off the road.
But it was too late.
"Him just lick de bus from in the middle to the back, causing the bus to spin round and it just drop right over onto the right hand side and skid go up de road."
Mr. Miller who is of a Grove Road, Kingston 10 address received minor injuries in the accident. He said "The people on the left hand side were alright but those on the right hand side get damage because that was where him lick di bus."
Eyewitnesses who rushed to assist passengers trapped inside the bus were assisted by passing motorists to take some of the injured to the May Pen Hospital.
Charles Murray, 35-year-old driver of the blue Jamaica Beverage truck, said he was driving in a westerly direction behind a pick-up when he slowed as the vehicle ahead of him had already slowed down to allow a car to make a right turn.
"It was at this point that another truck coming at about a million, hit me in the back," he said.
The CCN reported last night that the May Pen police have taken into custody the driver of the Leyland truck.
Among the injured were The Gleaner's St. Catherine Correspondent Egeton Newman, who was a passenger in the mini-bus. Others injured were Robert Williams, 19 years old of Content District, Manchester; Garnett Welsh, 24, salesman of Mandeville, Manchester; Allett Duncan, 21, student of Brumalia Road, Mandeville; Clifton Henry, 47, security guard of Lyndhurst Crescent, Kingston 5; Cruzon Glover, 42, salesman of St. Elizabeth; Hillary McLean, 38, of Waterford, St. Catherine; Tameka Wright, 19, of Mike Town, Manchester; Yanike Thompson, 14, student of Colleyville, Manchester and Ronald Matthews-Clarke, 32, of Mandeville, Manchester.
The right side of the mini-bus was badly bashed in as was its windshield. The Leyland truck was also extensively damaged in the front and rear.
The accident caused a pile-up of traffic for nearly an hour until the police were able to get curious motorists moving.
The Bustamante Highway has been the scene of numerous major accidents, the most recent occurring on November 22 when a Ford truck collided with a Hyundai motor car spliting it into pieces and the driver thrown from the vehicle. He later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The police have attributed high accident rate to speeding on the part of motorists who fail to obey the legal speed limit.
(Additional reporting by Damion Mitchell)
