NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kailla Morgan lights a candle at the gate of Clarendon College in Clarendon yesterday to memorialise classmate Sasha-Gaye Palmer who was hit down and killed by a motor vehicle in front of the school last Wednesday.
Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
It was a sad day at Clarendon College yesterday after a female student was hit by a car and killed as she crossed the road in front of the high school on Wednesday.
Clarendon College is located in Chapelton in northern Clarendon.
Twelve-year-old Sasha-Gaye Palmer had just finished classes for the day and was standing by the roadside with her sister just outside the school, when the driver of an approaching motor vehicle lost control of the automobile and struck Sasha-Gaye, killing her. Her sister, who is also a student at the school, witnessed it all.
Yesterday, students and teachers placed several candles at the entrance to the school and even more inside. Flowers were also placed at the spot where the girl was hit.
Sasha-Gaye's best friend 14-year-old Kailla Morgan stood watch over the candles, almost the entire day, making sure they kept burning. It was her way of doing something special for her friend.
About 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Sasha-Gaye's father, aunt and sister drove up and stopped at the spot where the girl was hit. They got out of their vehicle and started crying immediately. They left within minutes.
reflected on the tragedy
Residents of the area reflected on the tragedy throughout the day. Many persons gathered at the gate to the school to watch the candles burn.
This latest tragedy comes only a week after another student of the school lost her leg in a similar incident in Old Harbour, St. Catherine. Personnel at the school said the girl was part of a group of students on a field trip when she was hit.
The police are now on the hunt for a 17-year-old student of the school who allegedly stabbed another student on the compound Thursday morning.
Funeral arrangements for Sasha-Gaye have not yet been finalised.
