Driver escapes serious injury in crash allegedly caused by spilled construction material

A minivan driver narrowly escaped serious injury after his vehicle skidded off the White Horses main road, in the vicinity of Shady Spring, in St Thomas, before slamming into a nearby ditch.

Police report that the incident occurred some time after 6 p.m. Wednesday and that the occupant of the vehicle received minor injuries.

Investigators suggest the accident may have been caused by spilled sediments on the roadway from trucks carrying construction material, a long-standing problem that has resulted in several accidents in recent months.

In May, Minister with responsibility for works, Robert Nesta Morgan, called for the police to increase enforcement action against truck drivers whose vehicles spill cement, concrete mix and other construction materials on the roadways.

Section 97 of the Road Traffic Act 2018 makes it a criminal offence to cause materials such as concrete mix, garbage or oil to spill onto the roadways, Morgan noted in a statement.

Offenders who are found guilty can be fined up to $300,000 or three months’ imprisonment, he noted. Section 97 (2) also empowers the authorities to recover the cost of road repair as a civil debt in the parish court.

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