By Roy Sanford, Staff Reporter
Curious onlookers examine the wreckage of the Toyota mini-bus which was involved in an accident along the Cave main road in Westmoreland yesterday. - Patrick Campbell/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
FOUR PERSONS were killed and 20 admitted to hospital in two major accidents occurring within 24 hours of each other in rural Jamaica.
A 36-year-old woman, Sonia Dockery, of Grange Hill and 28-year-old Elroy Wallace, of Georges Plain, both in Westmoreland, were killed and 19 persons admitted to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in serious condition, following an accident on the Cave main road in Westmoreland yesterday.
Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) liaison officer for Westmoreland, Sgt. Alva Douglas, told The Gleaner that the accident occurred at about 6:00 a.m., when a Toyota Hiace bus, driven by Roger Bloomfield, hit the front of an International truck it was attempting to overtake and got out of control.
"After hitting the front of the truck, the driver of the bus lost control, ran off the road, hit a parked motor car and eventually ended up in a river," said Sgt. Douglas. He explained that the bus was transporting some 19 passengers.
All passengers involved in the Cave accident were rushed to hospital where Wallace and Dockery were pronounced dead. "The others are in serious condition and are being treated," he said.
Both the International truck and bus were travelling towards Bluefield from Savanna-la-Mar.
When The Gleaner visited Cave shortly after 9:00 a.m. yesterday, residents were still in shock. Glen Brown, who narrowly escaped injury when the runaway bus hit his parked car, which he was washing at the time, was still shaking as he recalled the incident.
"I heard a loud bang and when I looked up, I saw the bus coming in my direction with a speed," said Brown. "I ran off just before the bus hit my car, spun through the air and land in the river upside down."
Mr. Brown said that he heard the passengers screaming for help and although he was still shaking, he jumped into the river in an attempt to offer some assistance.
Another motor vehicle accident also took the lives of two men and injured another along the Bustamante Highway, Clarendon on Monday morning. Dead are Nawyar Barnes 30, of Elliott Road, May Pen and 35-year-old Horace Roache, of Hayes, both in Clarendon. Injured was 44-year-old Lloyd Linton of Raymonds.
The accident occurred about 4:30 a.m. when Barnes, while driving a Toyota Camry motorcar, registered 5685 BD, towards Kingston, was involved in a collision with a Toyota Corolla motorcar registered 9735 DY with Roache and Linton aboard. All three men were injured and were taken to the May Pen Hospital where Barnes and Roache were pronounced dead. Linton was admitted in serious condition.
The May Pen police are investigating.
