Stephanie Elliot, Gleaner Writer

The Nissan Vannete van at the Four Paths Police Station, Clarendon, that was involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash with a Toyota Corolla motor car along the Osbourne Store main road in the parish yesterday. The crash claimed the lives of five people. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Five persons died tragically in a two-vehicle collision along the Osbourne Store main road in Clarendon yesterday, while three were hospitalised; two in serious condition.

Those killed are: James Stanley of Reading, St. James; his 18-year-old granddaughter, Dadrian Patterson of East Kirkland Heights, St. Andrew; Lola Dwyer and her son Andel Smith of Spanish Town, St. Catherine.

The fifth person, a woman, was not identified up to press time.

The injured have been identified as Dionette Dwyer-Chin of Spanish Town, Paul McBean and Jermaine McBean, both of Glen Drive, Kingston.

According to Corporal Llewelyn Wynter of the Four Paths Police Station, shortly after eight o'clock yesterday morning a rented motor car driven by Mr. Stanley with his grand-daughter and the unidentified female passenger, was travelling in an easterly direction from Mandeville. Stanley overtook a line of traffic along the Osbourne Store main road and collided with a Nissan Vannette van, which was travelling in the opposite direction with five persons aboard including Dwyer-Chin, who was driving.

The collision claimed five lives on the spot. When The Gleaner arrived at the scene, the trapped bodies could still be seen among the mangled remains of the motor vehicles.

The bodies were eventually removed by firemen from the May Pen fire station, with the assistance of residents.

One resident who was on the scene said he heard a loud collision and he ran in the direction of the sound. He said he saw persons trapped in both vehicles and one of them lying in the middle of the road.

He said, the van caught fire shortly afterwards but residents broke a main pipe along the main road to extinguish the fire.

"If dat never do, a pure burn up somebody yuh would come find out here," he said.

Relatives of Dwyer-Chin, including her husband, were at a loss for words. They however related that she was on her way to Spaulding, Manchester to pick up a relative.

Meanwhile, other relatives of the dead refused to comment as they were overcome with grief.

This is the second fatal accident to occur in two days. On Sunday, 22 year-old Kemar Smythe was killed and two persons injured in a car crash on the Alpart main road in St. Elizabeth.