Four killed in two separate crashes as road fatalities near 200

Four people have been killed in two separate motor vehicle crashes in Manchester and St Ann between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, pushing Jamaica’s road fatalities to just one short of 200 for the year.

The latest crash occurred about 7:20 a.m. Wednesday along the New Forest main road in Manchester, where two men travelling on a motorcycle died following a collision with a Honda Vezel.

The deceased have been identified as Meldon Nibbs of Plowden district and Phillip Beharie of Duff House, both in Manchester.

According to the police, the Honda Vezel collided with the motorcycle on which Nibbs and Beharie were travelling.

Both men were taken to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The female driver of the Honda Vezel was also injured and remains in hospital receiving treatment.

Before that, a crash occurred about 6:20 Tuesday evening along the Queens Highway in Discovery Bay, St Ann.

Police said a Toyota Corolla was travelling towards Runaway Bay when the driver allegedly lost control while speeding and collided head-on with a Toyota Voxy travelling in the opposite direction.

The Corolla then spun and collided with a Toyota Probox carrying four elderly passengers.

The injured were taken to Falmouth Hospital, where 37-year-old Cordia Walters, a bartender of Sale in Runaway Bay, and Joel Treasure, a lifeguard of Bamboo, St Ann, were pronounced dead.

The Discovery Bay police are investigating the crash.

The four deaths come against the backdrop of a continuing decline in Jamaica’s road fatalities, although the national toll remains high.

For July alone, the country recorded 31 fatal crashes resulting in 41 deaths.

As at Wednesday, August 12, Jamaica had recorded 172 fatal crashes, with 199 people killed on the nation’s roads.

That represents a 16 per cent reduction in fatalities compared with the corresponding period last year, a difference of 39 lives.

Investigations into both fatal crashes are ongoing.

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