School appeals for safe bus system after fatal crash
Published:Tuesday | December 3, 2024 | 12:09 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Officials at Lennon High School in Mocho, Clarendon, are leading calls for a more reliable transportation system for students in the wake of Monday morning’s tragic vehicular crash that claimed the lives of two students. The crash also resulted in the hospitalisation of at least three other students.
Reports are that, about 8:30 a.m., a grey Toyota Probox collided with a black Subaru Impreza along the Bustamante Highway in the vicinity of York Town. Several students were injured with a boy and girl from Lennon High dying at the scene.
The driver was reportedly held at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston less than three hours later.
Briefing journalists at the May Pen Hospital, where the victims were transferred, Deputy Superintendent of Police Owen Brown said one of the students was in critical condition.
While alleged eyewitnesses’ accounts suggested that the vehicle carrying the students might have been pursued by officials from the Transport Authority, Brown – the territorial officer in charge of the Clarendon Police Division – said the police could not verify those claims.
“What we know for sure is that one of the vehicles was speeding and may have lost control, leading to a collision with the other vehicle,” Brown added.
The harrowing aftermath of the crash unfolded at the May Pen Hospital, where the deafening cries of relatives echoed through the facility. Amid the devastation, Ainsworth Kelly, Lennon High’s guidance counsellor, expressed frustration with the current transportation arrangements for students in the rural area.
“It’s a very rough time for the community, and I know that if we had a proper bus system, we could alleviate some of the issues we are now facing,” Kelly told journalists. He emphasised that Mocho, being a rural area, lacked an organised school transportation system, with taxis serving as the primary means of transport.
DEEP SORROW
“With a bus system, I’m sure the students would travel more safely,” Kelly added.
The guidance counsellor described the day as one of deep sorrow for the school and the broader community, noting that many students were still grappling with the loss.
“The students are in denial. It’s a rough day for all of us,” he remarked.
Tanesha Powell, principal of Lennon High, echoed Kelly’s sentiments, stressing the challenges faced by students from rural communities.
“The students in the rural areas suffer, and this may be one of the challenges that we have, hence the situation we have before us now – we are in mourning. Where are the powers be? We are asking, if possible, for a steady school bus system for the rural schools,” Powell stated.
The Gleaner reached out to Transport Minister Daryl Vaz for comment on the feasibility of implementing a school bus system in Clarendon. Vaz said, however, that he was unable to immediately comment on the transport challenges in the central parish.
However, in a statement posted on social media platform X, Vaz indicated that a proposal for the operations of the rural transportation for students has been completed by the transport ministry and will be presented to Cabinet on Monday of next week.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth & Information said it has activated its trauma and grief counselling teams to provide immediate support to the affected families, students, and staff at all institutions.
“We are fervently praying for their full recovery and will continue to provide support to the families as they navigate this challenging period.”
Mikael Phillips, opposition spokesman on transport, while describing the accident as a national tragedy, said he had reached out to the Transport Authority to verify reports of a chase preceding the accident.
“While confirmation is pending, it is critical to emphasise the dangers posed by high-speed pursuits, especially when passengers are involved,” he cautioned.
The Transport Authority, which is the agency that regulates the public transportation sector in Jamaica, said it was investigating the reports that one of its teams was chasing one the vehicles involved in the incident.
Robert Morgan, member of parliament for Clarendon North Central, where Lennon High is located, acknowledged the seriousness of the tragedy. Referencing reports from the police that the driver of one of the vehicles was speeding, Morgan described the challenges with defiant motorists as significant, but stressed that the Government would need to undertake “a lot of work” to improve compliance with road safety regulations.
When asked about the condition of local roads and ongoing complaints by motorists, Morgan said recent heavy rains had crippled the Government’s efforts to carry out needed repairs.
“We’ve had several weeks of rain, and although we have tried to carry out repairs in these conditions, it hasn’t been very effective. A lot of asphalt has been lost because it’s difficult to patch roads in the rain,” said Morgan, who is also minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic, Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for works. He attributed the worsening road conditions to Hurricane Beryl, which affected the island in July, and the impact of climate change.
Morgan noted that the island has seen more rainfall in the last three months than it has seen in recent years.
Despite these challenges, he sought to reassure constituents that the Government remained committed to fixing the nation’s roads, referencing a $30-million allocation to each member of parliament for road repairs.
A 39-year-old man also died in a fatal crash along the Salt River main road in Clarendon on Sunday.
Some 340 people have been killed in 294 fatal crashes since the beginning of the year – seven more deaths when compared to 393 over the 2023 corresponding period. In Clarendon, 21 people have died in 19 crashes – an increase over the 22 fatalities recorded during the same period in 2023.