Tougher oversight looms after Vernamfield drag-racing tragedy

The freak drag-racing tragedy at the Vernamfield Aerodrome on Sunday has triggered a review of staging protocols by the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), which could strengthen qualification criteria before future event access is approved.

That disclosure was made by AAJ President and CEO Audley Deidrick in a Gleaner interview on Sunday.

“Like anything else, when an event like this takes place, it gives us cause to assess the how or what transpired and what conditions and criteria we want to assess before granting permission,” Deidrick said.

Parallel probes will likely explore whether a weekend spillage of what appeared to be gallons of oil at a section of the racetrack caused a car to pick up a skid before careering into the crowd of spectators who fled for their lives.

The AAJ president said that he had received information that the spillage was an apparent attempt to sabotage the event.

The clean-up operation by the organisers could come under intense scrutiny, with answers demanded of the thoroughness of the process, whether it was undertaken by professionals, and whether certified safety experts declared the track fit for racing.

The AAJ has oversight for the airstrip but Deidrick said that it was not responsible for safety although AAJ officials do ask pertinent questions.

Deidrick said that the approval process required full submission of event plans, as well as insurance documentation, before go-ahead is granted.

“This event is staged by the organiser supported by the NDRC – National Drag Racing Corporation and it is an event staged under what we consider officials involved in the drag racing for a long time,” he said of the organisers.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Anton-Gur Cardoza, head of operations for the Clarendon Police Division, confirmed the incident and said that an investigation was under way.

“Persons have been injured and taken to hospital. I can’t confirm how many have been injured, but we are currently conducting some investigation to that,” Cardoza said.

Persons at the Drag Rivals event, however, said that at least four persons, including a woman whose condition was considered to be serious, were taken to hospital with injuries.

“The car just mek a sudden turn to the right, into the barricade,” an eyewitness told The Gleaner. “A female got badly injured; not sure of her condition as she was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.”

Dr Norbert Campbell, immediate past president of the Jamaica Occupational Health and Safety Professionals Association, said that there should be protocols governing an oil spill clean-up, adding that the fire brigade should play a key role in giving the all clear.

“There should be some protocol involving how it should be done and what constitutes a proper clean-up. Having a protocol exist in this regard is not a unique situation,” Campbell told The Gleaner Sunday evening.

An independent assessment is critical to securing public confidence in the overall process, he said.

“But you would appreciate that does not mean that an internal job would not necessarily be satisfactory just because it is done internally. But external evaluation is always something that one would look towards,” Campbell said.

The Vernamfield investigation is expected to explore whether best practices and benchmarks were followed in the overall incident review.

– David Salmon contributed to this article.

cecelia.livingston@gleanerjm.com