Two die as car slams into ackee tree
Published:Tuesday | December 10, 2024 | 12:07 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Two young men were killed and three others left nursing serious injuries after a motorcar in which they were travelling crashed into an ackee tree along the Three Miles River main road in Westmoreland early Monday morning.
The deceased have been identified as 21-year-old Omario Brown, the driver of the 2016 grey Toyota Axio motorcar, and Javel Brown, both residents of Strathbogie in Westmoreland. It is unclear if the two were related. The injured men, who are also from the same community, remained in hospital up to late yesterday.
According to reports, about 1:40 a.m., the five young men were travelling from Strathbogie towards the Westmoreland capital Savanna-la-Mar. While negotiating a corner in the vicinity of Thrifty gas station, the driver lost control of the vehicle. It is believing they were travelling at a high speed.
Passers-by were able to pull three of the men from the vehicle and take them to hospital, but the Browns, who both appeared unconscious, were pinned down by the wreck.
When police and an emergency medical team from the Savanna-la-Mar Fire Brigade arrived, they extricated the unresponsive men and transported them to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
“Everybody knows that speed kills, but these youngsters seem to have very little respect for their lives,” said a resident of Strathbogie, who said the community was badly shaken up by the news. “Most of these youngsters are inexperienced drivers, but they are driving at racetrack speed.”
Since the start of the year, at least 342 persons have died in road crashes, blunting the hopes of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), which wanted to see the number of fatalities in 2024 falling below 300 for the first time in 12 years.
The NRSC has spearheaded numerous campaigns to encourage safe driving. However, these efforts have not significantly curbed reckless driving or made any significant impact on fatalities.
“All this is falling on deaf years … . People continue to speed and drive recklessly,” NRSC Vice Chairman Dr Lucien Jones said after an accident that claimed four lives in April.