By George Henry, Gleaner Correspondent A four-vehicle accident involving an international trailer truck, owned by Black Brothers of Mandeville, a Leyland truck, a Toyota Lite Ace pick-up truck and a Toyota Camry motor car along the Pen Hill main road near the WINDALCO plant at Kirkvine in Manchester, yesterday afternoon, resulted in two persons dead and six others injured.
Dead are Gregory Gillings, of a Hanover address and Trecia Lebert, 26-year-old housewife of Ramble Hill in St. James. Mr. Gillings was the driver of the Camry motorcar and Ms. Lebert and three other persons were passengers. Damion Lewis, who was also a passenger in the Camry motor car, was said to be in serious condition and was rushed to a Kingston hospital.
According to reports, a line of traffic was ascending Pen Hill at about 1:15 p.m., when the driver of the Toyota Camry attempted to overtake several vehicles.
However, almost immediately as he tried to pass the other vehicles, the International truck was descending the hill. Upon seeing the motor car, it is alleged that the driver applied his brakes and the truck slid in the direction of the oncoming vehicles, resulting in a collision with the Leyland truck and the Toyota Lite Ace pickup truck, which was laden with cooking gas cylinders, and the motor car.
The accident resulted in traffic being held up for more than three hours. When The Sunday Gleaner arrived on the scene there was a group of police officers, including Superintendent in charge of Manchester, George Quallo, carrying out investigations and manning the traffic.
The accident also resulted in an oil spill, but that was quickly taken care of by firemen from the Christiana Fire Department, who used sand to mop up whatever oil was present.
