Cry for me when I die - student killed in accident

O'Shane Reid told his friends at the University of the West Indies (UWI) recently, that should he die, they should cry, not celebrate.

Today, his friends are in tears. The glossy eyes and the sad tone of their voices betrayed the grief that UWI students Shanice Allen, Romone Robinson and Catrina Hyde were going through as they spoke with The Gleaner yesterday about the death of Shanice Simmonds of Harmony Hall, St Mary, and O'Shane Reid of a Kingston 4, St Andrew, address.

They died in a motor-vehicle accident on the Drax Hall main Road in St Ann on Wednesday night, on their way from Ocho Rios to Discovery Bay. Reid was a second-year communication master's student at CARIMAC, UWI, Mona, and a former Guild of Students' public relations officer and vice president, while Simmonds studied the humanities, and is said to have just completed her first degree, and was expecting to graduate later this year.

Speaking with The Gleaner at the Students' Union yesterday, Allen, a former Guild of Students' treasurer; Robinson, a former Guild of Students' public relations officer and Hyde, current Guild librarian, spoke about the type of person they knew Reid to be. They were not very familiar with Simmonds.

Hyde said on Wednesday night when she got a call saying O'Shane had died, she asked who he was, although he was someone whom she knows very well. "Because I was in shock," she said.

Phone fell from hand

He was the farthest person from her mind. Incidentally, they were at the Students' Union and were talking about him and his habit of doing some types of dance moves, prior to receiving the bad news. When the caller said it was 'Creamy', Reid's alias, she said her phone fell from her hand.

Allen, sensing that something was wrong said she didn't want to hear anything. The news was that Reid and Simmonds had both died in a car accident.

Hyde said her heart raced, her hands got cold and she went blank, and was at a loss for words. Several hours after, she said she was still at a loss for words. After seeing social media postings, the reality has now started to sink in, but not totally, she said.

Robinson who succeeded Reid on the Guild regarded Reid as a brother to whom he was close and who was there for him when the transition was made. He said Reid, who was a jovial, hard-working, ambitious person, taught him a lot, and was a great motivator.

"O'Shane touched every single person he has come across, at some point," Robinson said. He said Reid brought out the best in people. He was a chess player and footballer and was well rounded. He was a former deputy head boy at Camperdown High School.

He said Reid talked about dying young and even tweeted about it.

Allen too was in disbelief, especially because she is part of the Flourish Movement started by Reid. The movement was his life, she said. It is about the empowerment of inner-city youths, to take them from poverty to prosperity. "Forever Flourish" was his life mantra, Allen said, and it was sad that he didn't live to see Flourish flourish.

Allen described Reid as a very charismatic, very ambitious and very confident person, who didn't like fake people.

Reid was planning to come into Kingston for the 'freshers' party scheduled to take place tonight.