Busman among two killed in highway collision
Relative vouches for uncle as careful driver
Published:Tuesday | August 23, 2022 | 12:10 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Fifty-seven-year-old Clarendon bus driver James Davis is the parish’s first public passenger vehicle (PPV) driver fatality since the start of the year.
Davis, also known as ‘Prento’, and the lone passenger aboard his bus were killed in a three-vehicle collision along the Bustamante Highway in Four Paths, Clarendon, sometime after 5 a.m. on Monday.
The second victim has been indentified as Glenmore Pryce, also known as ‘Blacka Shine’.
The Bustamante Highway is a crash hotspot.
Davis had just left his home in Osborne Store in the parish to pick up passengers in May Pen for his first trip into Kingston when the Coaster bus he was driving reportedly collided with a truck transporting oil.
Davis, who plied the May Pen to Kingston route, was well known among students he transported throughout Clarendon for decades.
His niece, Natalie Duncan, described him as a careful driver, adding that she did not believe he was culpable in causing the crash.
“Mi can close my eyes and sleep inna di bus whenever he’s driving. I know he’s careful, and it is really sad to see how his life ended like this,” Duncan told reporters at the crash scene on Monday.
Similar sentiments were shared by another niece, Racquel Morgan, who told The Gleaner that her uncle prioritised the safety of his passengers. Morgan said the family is gutted over Davis’ tragic demise, adding that he was humble and friendly.
“The family is in mourning. Our day is saddened, but what hit us hard is that our beloved uncle, brother, husband, and family friend passed on his way to work with [a] passenger,” said Morgan.
Gleaner sources disclosed that Pryce would regularly travel into Kingston with Davis to purchase goods for his business. The police say Pryce boarded the bus just moments before the fatal crash.
Speaking at the scene, Uphel Purcell, councillor for the York Town division, within which Four Paths is located, implored drivers to exercise caution while traversing the nation’s roads.
Up to August 22, some 305 civilians were killed in motor vehicle crashes. The death toll is eight fewer than the 313 for the corresponding period in 2021.
Of the 305 fatalities for 2022, eleven fatalities were PPV commuters and five were PPV drivers, compared with eight and two, respectively, for the corresponding period last year.
Up to August 22, Clarendon recorded a total of 23 fatalities, one fewer fatality than for the corresponding period last year.