Fatal Monday

DUNCANS, Trelawny — Two unidentified persons were burnt beyond recognition when the motor car in which they were travelling burst into flames after slamming into taxi in which a female passenger died on the Duncans bypass road in this parish yesterday.

All three died on the spot, while an undetermined number of people were reportedly taken to hospital.

According to the police, the crash occurred about 1:45 pm when a Nissan Tiida, with two occupants, collided with a Toyota Wish taxi travelling in the opposite direction.

The two occupants of the Nissan Tiida, believed to be males, were trapped in the mangled remains of the car, which burst into flames.

The female passenger in the Toyota Wish, which plied the route between Duncans and Discovery Bay in the neighbouring parish of St Ann, received multiple injuries while other occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, sustained injuries and were rushed to hospital.

According to Lawrence Pottinger, district officer at Falmouth Fire Station, the fire brigade received a call approximately 2:21 pm and responded with two units — one from Ironshore and the other from Falmouth.

“On arrival at the scene we observed one Toyota Wish in a mangled state and a Nissan Tiida fully engulfed in flames. The brigade quickly went into action, utilising one medium jet to fight the blaze. After the fire was extinguished we observed two occupants burnt beyond recognition in the Nissan Tiida. Other occupants of the Toyota Wish were transported to hospital by passersby,” Pottinger told the Observer.

The force of the impact dislodged a blue bumper from the Nissan Tiida and left the engine laying on the ground beside the twisted remains of the vehicle.

The tragedy drew a large number of people who tried to get a closer look at the remains of the victims.

One bystander, who claimed to have been an eyewitness, was overheard saying the Tiida crossed over into the path of the Toyota Wish.

Yesterday’s crash pushed the number of road fatalities in Trelawny to seven since the start of the year.

On Friday, April 6, a Honda Integra motor car with three occupants was travelling along the Braco main road in Trelawny when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle after it picked up a skid and collided with a Chevrolet truck coming from the opposite direction.

The three occupants of the motor car received injuries and 52-year-old Communications Officer Nicaule Parchment of Orange Bay Estate, Hanover, who had to be cut from the motor car, succumbed to her injuries on the spot.