‘Is a wicked death’
Police seeking to identify victim, driver in deadly double whammy hit-and-run involving taxi and private vehicle
Published:Saturday | August 31, 2024 | 2:14 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
The authorities are seeking to identify a woman who was killed in a bizarre hit-and-run involving two motor vehicles on Thursday night along the busy Marcus Garvey Drive thoroughfare in Kingston.
They are also imploring the driver who left the scene to come forward.
Information reaching The Gleaner is that the unidentified woman was hit by a taxi then a motorcar ran over her in the vicinity of Jamaica Packaging Industries.
According to information released by the Island Traffic Authority (ITA), the motor vehicles involved are a 2015 white Mazda Six motorcar registered 1036KY; and a 2014 grey Nissan Bluebird Sylphy motorcar registered 6990JE.
Reports are that the Mazda Six motorcar was travelling easterly along Marcus Garvey Drive, when, upon reaching the vicinity of Jamaica Packaging, the unidentified female pedestrian allegedly walked in the path of the Mazda motorcar which resulted in a collision.
As a result of this collision, the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy motorcar made a second contact with the female pedestrian who was on the ground after being hit by the Mazda motorcar.
The Hunts Bay police said that about 9:30 p.m., the woman was crossing the road when she was hit by a taxi (Mazda) and sustained serious injuries.
The driver of the oncoming vehicle (Nissan Bluebird Sylphy) which ran over her reportedly stopped and offered aid as well as contacted the police.
The woman was assisted to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
INVESTIGATIONS ONGOING
The Gleaner gathered that residents in the nearby Greenwich Town community converged at the scene after hearing the commotion.
“It never pretty, the woman did stay bad. Is a wicked death. Everybody come out last night and a look,” a male resident told The Gleaner.
“The taxi man weh hit her down fi carry in himself. A somebody family. It could be dem mother, aunty, sister or loved one.”
Some residents expressed concern that the thoroughfare has become an accident-prone zone.
“Every year, if car nuh run off the road and into people house, somebody get lick down or motor vehicle crash take a life. The authorities need to put signage out here. The next thing is that the area is not properly lit,” said Michelle Fagan, who lives nearby.
On Friday, the St Andrew South police revisited the area. They noted that investigation is ongoing, as they will be relying on all resources available to locate the taxi driver who fled the scene.
DECLINE IN ROAD FATALITIES
Even as road fatalities declined in the first half of 2024 compared to the similar period last year, the ITA continues to urge road users to be more cautious on the roads.
The latest statistics released by the Road Safety Unit yesterday revealed that up to August 30, 2024, Jamaica recorded 245 road fatalities, compared to 275 for the same period last year.
Motorcyclists, pedestrians and private motor vehicle drivers were the top three categories with the highest number of road fatalities during the first half of 2024.
According to the ITA, the main causes of these fatalities were speeding, failure to keep to the proper traffic lane, and pedestrians walking out or standing in the roadway.
A closer look at the data show that pedestrians account for 18 per cent of the road users killed as of August 30, 2024.
According to the data, 44 pedestrians have been killed so far this year from 44 fatal pedestrian crashes, compared to 58 killed from 58 fatal pedestrian crashes for the corresponding period in 2023.