A JAMAICA URBAN Transit Company (JUTC) inspector, who was in a bus which killed a man identified only as "Mickey" last week, was arrested and charged with manslaughter and is to face the Half-Way Tree court today.
A bail hearing for the inspector, Patrick Johnson, is set for 10:00 a.m. Errol Lee, the JUTC's public relations manager, said the inspector has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of investigations.
According to reports, "Mickey", a conductor on an NTCS bus, was hit down after he stepped in front of a No. 52 bus which had moved off its parked position. He was later pronounced dead at hospital.
It is still not clear what caused the bus to roll out of the lay-by. Mr. Lee said he did not want to comment further on the specifics of what may have caused the incident while police investigations continued.
Initial reports were that the bus was parked in a lay-by along South Parade by a driver following the end of his shift at midday last Friday. The JUTC said the inspector reported that he was left sitting inside the bus and that a few moments later he became aware the bus was moving. He reportedly tried to stop it by climbing into the driver's seat and brought the bus to a stop.
Reports said that during that time, "Mickey" walked in front of the bus and was hit to the ground.
This is the latest in a series of accidents involving JUTC buses. On October 26, an elderly pedal cyclist was involved in an accident with a Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus. The man was rushed to Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) with both legs and an arm broken.
On October 24, two sisters, 12-year-old Codeon Barton and seven-year-old Terry-Ann Robinson, were crushed by a JUTC bus while sitting in the rear of their father's sport utility vehicle in Cross Roads, St. Andrew. They were on their way to school when the accident occurred at the bus bay in Cross Roads, St. Andrew.
Last week, information revealed that since its start-up in September 1998, the JUTC has paid out $45.4 million in compensation to victims and is negotiating the settlement of other claims.
The documentation also showed that the company has had 242 third party accident compensation requests, or an average of 60 claims filed each year and, according to the Transport Ministry's Road Safety Unit, the figure for road accidents for the year involving JUTC buses now stands at 205.
This had been taking further toll on the cash-strapped JUTC, which reported heavy losses earlier this year.
Its internal financial statements to February 2002 revealed the company as being technically insolvent.
