HOLIDAY TRAGEDY
School principal, wife die in highway crash in US
Published:Sunday | January 5, 2025 | 12:12 AMLester Hinds - Sunday Gleaner Writer
NEW YORK:
Just hours before O’Neil Stevens, the principal of Jessie Ripoll Primary School in Kingston, and his wife, Camesha Lindsay-Stevens, tragically lost their lives in a motor vehicle accident on a South Carolina highway on Friday, he shared their final family photo from their vacation on social media – unaware that it would be their last together.
The couple and their two daughters were on their way to the airport to board a flight back to Jamaica after spending the Christmas holidays with Lindsay-Stevens’ mother in Myrtle Beach when tragedy struck.
Reports are that the couple, their daughters, Lindsay-Stevens’ mother and a driver were travelling along a highway when their car experienced a flat tyre, and they pulled over to the side of the road.
Noreen Stevens told The Sunday Gleaner on Saturday that she was informed that her son and his wife got out of the car to assist with changing the flat. While outside, they reportedly spotted a van heading towards them at a high speed and began running to the embankment but they were struck.
She said that Stevens died on the spot while his wife succumbed to her injuries just as she arrived at an urgent care centre.
No one else was injured.
In a report, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office indicated that around 6 p.m., a vehicle appeared to become disabled in the roadway of Halfway Creek Road in Huger, South Carolina.
“Through initial investigation, deputies say two people exited a vehicle that looked to be disabled in the roadway. While they were outside, another vehicle struck both of them. After first responders arrived and gave life-saving measures, one person was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was pronounced dead at the hospital,” said Lt Jacquelyn Woodall.
Not a hit-and-run
The sheriff’s office, which is investigating the incident, said it was not a hit-and-run and that the passing vehicle stopped after the incident.
Mrs Stevens, a retired teacher who still teaches part-time as she was always encouraged by her son to give back, told The Sunday Gleaner that the news came as quite a shock.
“He was a father figure to everyone. He was meticulous and very close to his daughters. I have no words that I can think of to describe him. It is hard,” Mrs Stevens said.
“It is hard because he would tell me everything and was always there for everyone who needed him,” she added. “He was the second son of four sons and he was a leader, especially to his younger brother, who looked to him for advice.”
A past student of Kingston College and Mico Teachers’ College (now The Mico University College), Stevens taught social studies at Donald Quarrie High School in Kingston for a number of years before becoming principal at Jessie Ripoll Primary, also in Kingston, seven years ago.
He would have celebrated his 48th birthday in February.
As news of the tragedy spread on Saturday, several former colleagues and former students paid tribute to the educator.
Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon hailed Stevens as “more than an exemplary leader; he was a beacon of inspiration and dedication”.
“His vision for excellence in education and his steadfast commitment to the holistic development of our students left an indelible mark on the Jessie Ripoll Primary School community. Alongside him, Mrs Stevens was a supportive partner and a cherished presence to the extended school family, always contributing with grace and generosity,” she said.
The ministry has deployed trauma and grief counselling teams to support staff and students when they return to school on January 7, a one-day delay to the start of classes at the Roman Catholic institution. A gathering of school board members, teachers, ministry officials, and friends is planned for Monday at the school.
Promising and dedicated young male educators
Marcia Thwaites, chairman of the Jessie Ripoll Primary School board, has hailed Stevens as “one of the most promising and dedicated young male educators”.
She added: “[He] served with mature wisdom, endearing himself to staff, students, parents, and alumni alike. He has contributed greatly to Jessie Ripoll’s deserved reputation as one of the nation’s finest primary schools.”
Thwaites also expressed sorrow for the Stevenses’ two children, one of whom is a student at Jessie Ripoll Primary.
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston Kenneth Richards said the church is moving to support the family and school community.
“Every time I think about it, it unnerves me to think that such tragedy could take place,” Richards told The Sunday Gleaner.
In announcing the news to staff earlier, Vice Principal Marsha Moodie-Benbow urged everyone to “keep their daughters and the family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers during this period of unimaginable grief”.
Dr Mark Smith, president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, also described the tragedy as a significant blow to the education sector.
“This has really been a huge shock to the system. To know this gentleman is to have a profound level of respect for him and the work that he and his team would have done,” he said.