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‘LOVE STRUCK’ -Teen killed in ‘accidental’ shooting

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Shamar Hoffenden

While most parents busy themselves with back-to-school preparations, family members of a 13-year-old Green Pond High student remain dead frozen in their tracks, as the troubled, yet beloved, teenager was accidentally shot by her ‘close friend’ – one the family made every attempt to separate her from.

Dead is 13-year-old Shamar Hoffenden of a Pitfour, Granville address in St. James.

A 17-year-old boy, said to be her ‘close friend’ and accused of causing the fatal shooting, is reportedly on the run.

The information received by the Western Mirror from the Police is that shortly after noon on Saturday, Shamar was in a room at the home of a neighbour when the tragic incident occurred.

It’s understood that while in the room, the accused walked in carrying an illegal weapon, which he and Shamar allegedly began to play with.

The details remain unclear, but shortly after, an explosion was heard coming from the direction of the room occupied by the teens.

The police report that the 17-year-old boy pulled the injured Shamar from the room and onto the front yard, following which he ran to her mother’s house and told her that her daughter had been shot.

He then fled the scene and is still being sought by the police.

It was discovered that the 13-year-old had been struck in the head. She was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Shamar, who would have been entering Grade 8 this coming September, was the seventh of her mother’s 11 children.

Deborah Middleton, mother of the deceased teen, who sells at the Charles Gordon Market, said she is not coping well with the death of her daughter.

“I am not doing too well.  It’s just that she fell in love with the wrong person. I did not support this relationship.  She was a jovial girl and everybody really loved her. The family is just taking it one day at a time. That is how we are trying to cope,” the grieving mother explained.

It is understood that Shamar was a troubled child, and the intervention of the Child Protection and Family Service Agency, as well as the police, were sought by her parents on numerous occasions to curb her wayward behaviour. The teen, however, continued to rebel, according to reports.

Her mother, it is understood, tried to persuade her to end the relationship with the 17-year-old, but to no avail.

Barrington Flemming/Noelita Lawrence – Staff Reporters

 

Tia Ferguson is President of UTECH’s Students’ Union

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Tia Ferguson, President of UTECH Students' Union

Barrington Flemming – Staff Reporter

Tia Ferguson, a pharmacy major, now stands as President of the powerful Students Union at the University of Technology Jamaica.

The 23-year-old political aspirant, who hails from Paradise, Montego Bay received her first taste of the rigours of electioneering when she threw her hat in the ring to become president, an experience she now describes as very challenging and time consuming as she was pitted to do battle with two tough male contenders.

“It was more challenging than I thought. I was the lone female candidate and it was really rough because it took so much.  I was the executive secretary for the Student Union last year, Deputy President for one of the clubs at UTECH last year and Public Relations Officer for the Pharmacy Association, but they never prepared me for anything like this – the election took everything that I had so now I know what they mean when they said nothing in life that you want comes for free,” Ferguson asserts.

So, the dust has settled and Ferguson is ready to begin the work. She is supported on the executive by Kahlil Ferguson- 1st Vice President, Academic affairs, Jevon Reid –Vice President –Finance, and Nicholas Gordon – Vice President, Student Affairs and Jameek Burrell – Executive Secretary.

“It is an advocacy role, UTECH has 13,000 plus students and as Head of that body – I have to articulate the concerns, all the issues of the students. I basically manage all the portfolios – I ensure that the union has a face so I work closely with the Public Relations Officer. I work closely with student services – so we look at the financial needs of students and we try to address them through aid, scholarships, bursaries, lunches, whatever it is that the students are in need of, we take an avid interest in and do our best to address it”.

GREATEST CHALLENGE

 For the new president, the greatest challenge so far:

“Is to get everybody harmonized to get everybody focused on the same objective, then as president, I have to put my own vision in train as well. My vision for this Union is for us to be transformational leaders- for us to transform what we came and saw, making them better than when we saw them,” Ferguson explained.  “I don’t believe in tearing down. I believe in everyone coming with their own ideas and we see how best to facilitate them for the greater good.”

She admires acting great Denzel Washington and is inspired by him: “Denzel Washington said something: very profound- everybody you looked on and they were great, they had to be working hard; even Denzel himself; he is working hard.”

The UTECH student Union President said she is not a stranger to hardship as she grew up in a home, with parents Sandra Bloomfield and Colin Ferguson, who were not rich and still are not.

“I know what hardship is. I grew up with parents who did not have and still don’t have it.  They gave me everything I need, and I see myself as their way out of such a situation.”

Graduate of the Glendevon Primary and Junior High, Irwin High School and Herbert Morrison High Sixth form Tia says she loves giving back and it was one of the principal factors which influenced her decision to become a pharmacist.

At the end of her tenure, Tia would like to be remembered by students and the administration of UTECH “as a woman who kept her word- Manifesto. I want the Students’ Union to start operating as a business and to increase the vital services on campus. I would like to improve the safety of students. Some measures in this regard I have already started.  To be the female president who worked who advocated for them tirelessly to ensure that their needs and wants were met.

 

Holness honour-bound to fire Bobby Montague

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Robert Montague

As the JLP’s political apparatus fulminates against Peter Bunting, given his telling probing of former Science, Energy and Technology Minister, Andrew Wheatley, in Parliament and the subsequent embarrassing fallout, they have been rocked by another Bunting-linked revelation which could possibly force the cabinet dismissal of another high-flying cabinet minister.

Two courageous journalists, through diligent investigation, have discovered information that points to Bunting’s National Security successor; Robert Montague; overriding legislated protocol and ignoring the warning of the National Intelligence Bureau in order to facilitate a suspected high value gangster/criminal’s retention of his gun license which was revoked by the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) following more in-depth investigation of the individual’s character by the security forces.

Following that jarring disclosure, coming on the heels of the Wheatley fiascos and resignation, one gets the impression that Jamaica is fed up with the cavalier behaviour of this government. Despite his leadership position in the JLP, Montague is skating on thin ice. He has worn out his welcome. His incoherent explanations surrounding the police used car scandal have not been forgotten, not by the PNP, not by civil society and certainly not by the taxpayers of this country. Now here comes this glaringly obvious breach.

MONTAGUE’S FACTS

Montague, while denying impropriety, admitted the following: Fact #4 The person in question had been charged previously under the lottery scamming legislation. The charges were thrown out by the Courts as no evidence was provided. Subsequently, the police officer, who had charged the person in question, was alleged to be corrupt and was separated from the Police force.

Fact #5 The person in question is from the constituency of Western St Mary that the minister represents as Member of Parliament. Though not relevant, the minister finds it important to provide all pertinent information to the country, which he can responsibly provide. In essence, providing details as opposed to allowing rumors prevail.

Fact #6 The person in question (making the appeal) became a “National Security Asset”. The information provided by him regarding the FLA unearthed scandalous issues which were associated with the entity. Proof of these issues was provided by him, and actions have been taken since, including FLA personnel being fired and arrested, along with licenses being revoked.

By his own admission, Montague is in essence saying he knows the man who is one of his constituents. There is nothing wrong with a Member of Parliament rendering aid and assistance to a constituent, however, when as M.P, you are the minister charged with presiding over the most critical arm of governance in Jamaica – crime, one has to exhibit better judgment in aiding that constituent, particularly when that constituent is linked to a criminal gang by the intelligence arm of the Jamaican police force which you have portfolio responsibility for.

NOT THE ONLY OPTION

Montague ought to have known that overriding the revocation order was not the only option he had in treating with this euphemistic “National Security Asset”. There is the Witness Protection Programme which is used to facilitate highly endangered government informants. If I am getting the story correct, the individual is no longer in Jamaica. That said individual could have been removed from Jamaica through the Witness Protection Programme. Or was he at a later date? Frankly, I do not believe that the former minister explored all his options but acted with audacious recklessness to prove his power over the police. His history of arrogance serves to buttress that point.

This is not Montague’s first rodeo, he became a parish councillor for the Carron Hall division in the St Mary Parish Council, which he served from 1990-2007. He would subsequently become Mayor of Port Maria from 2003 to 2007; he became Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government between 2007 and mid-2011, when he was promoted to Minister of Agriculture for approximately five months. His years of service have not gone without controversy.

If one is to be judged on their history, the Prime Minister is honour-bound to fire Mr. Montague. Here is a brief snippet of his parliamentary life over the life of two JLP administrations. As a junior minister, he was shown on national TV arrogantly and disrespectfully berating a nurse at an infirmary. His arrogant behaviour drew the ire of most Jamaicans. His brief tenure as agriculture minister would not be controversy free. In the aftermath of the 2011 General Election, it was discovered that in the months leading up to that election, millions of dollars’ worth of black water tanks were given out ostensibly to farmers in a partisan political manner. There is no empirical evidence of any impropriety by him, but it happened under his watch.

Following the 2016 Local Government election, the now defunct Office of the Contractor General (OCG), led by Dirk Harrison, investigated the scandalous $900 million de-bushing pre-election spend. Following Harrison’s investigation, the OCG’s report found, and I quote, “36. Messrs Vincent Taylor of Construction Solutions Ltd … advised the OCG of an established protocol/practice of members of parliament being consulted by the contractor prior to the execution of the contracts with a view to mobilizing the community members to execute debushing and drain-cleaning works.

“37. Dr. Andrew Wheatley, Shahine Robinson and Robert Montague denied the allegations made by Vincent Taylor that they specified the persons to whom cheques were to be made payable and the manner in which same should be apportioned.” History, it’s the darnest thing.

As the Troglodytes take aim at him with their spears and arrows, Bunting should remember the words of the great American patriot and statesman, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who said, “I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.”

Peace! mocobarrett@yahoo.com

 

DISCLAIMER: 

Except for our editorials on these pages, the views expressed in other correspondence to us do not necessarily reflect our view and way of thinking.

COP KILLED

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Constable Rohan Bucknor

Sunday night’s killing of a police constable in Petersfield, Westmoreland has been met with condemnation by both the police high command and the Minister of National Security.

The dead cop is 41-year-old Rohan Bucknor, who was stationed at the Little London police station and resided at Hartford in the parish.

Reports are that Constable Bucknor was sitting in a barber shop about 9:30 p.m., getting a haircut and speaking with the barber who owns the shop, when a lone gunman entered and opened fire, hitting him in the upper body.

He ran through the back door and fell outside, while the gunman made good his escape. Constable Bucknor, who was rushed to hospital by the police who responded, was pronounced dead on arrival.

Constable Bucknor’s death comes two and half years after he shot and killed his brother, 37-year-old Mark Bernard, at Hatfield, Westmoreland.

Bucknor, who was off-duty at the time, went to visit family and an argument developed between him and Bernard over a SIM card, at which time he pulled his licensed Glock 9mm pistol and fired one shot, hitting Bernard in the head.

Bucknor, who drove himself to the police station, was last year freed of the charges.

Reacting to the murder of Constable Bucknor, security minister Dr. Horace Chang and the police high command have condemned the brazen attack and urged police officers to remain vigilant in light of attacks against the police in vulnerable situations.

Dr. Chang, in a statement, said the attack on an active off-duty police officer is of great concern, adding that it would not deter the crime-fighting efforts of the police in Westmoreland.

“Elements in the society determined to disrupt law and order and cause fear and panic will not be tolerated. This incident will not be allowed to impair the fight against crime in the parish of Westmoreland,” he said.

Mr. Chang said the officers will re-double their resolve to bring these unsavory, criminal elements to justice.

The police high command in the meantime has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation in order bring those responsible to justice.

The high command said with the threat level against police officers remaining high, it is urging officers to remain vigilant and take swift and decisive action to protect themselves and their families.

Anyone with information that can assist investigators is being asked to contact the Westmoreland Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB) at 955-2758, Police 119 Emergency Number, Crime Stop at 311 or the nearest Police Station.

 

GRIM THREAT

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Sydney Smith

Barrington Flemming – Staff Reporter

  • Technician foretells death, murdered hours later

Mystery shrouds Monday’s brazen daylight shooting death of 29-year-old television technician, Sydney Sheldon Smith, otherwise called ‘Shane’ of Vernon’s Drive, Montego Bay.

Reports gleaned by the Western Mirror indicate that Smith, who worked at a television repair shop at Cottage Close, went to a nearby cook shop about 12:15 p.m. and ordered lunch, as was his custom.

He was about to exit the cook shop when explosions were heard.  The police were summoned and, on their arrival, Smith was seen lying at the entrance of the cook shop in a pool of blood with gunshot wounds to the head and upper body.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

‘Shane’s’ distraught mother, Patsy Foster, said based on what her son said to her on Sunday, she became wary that something was gravely wrong.

“He said to me, ‘Mommy if I don’t live, please don’t sell my car and give the money to anybody.”  She said he mentioned to her that he had a dispute with a man who threatened to kill him.

“He went to the fridge to get something to eat and said ‘Maybe this will be the last thing I eat,” Ms. Foster disclosed.

Foster said she went to bed with a heavy heart with those thoughts on her mind.

She didn’t question him, but continued to mull over his words.

“I woke up Monday morning and got ready for work but Shane was sleeping so I said I would talk to him when I got home.  I received a call from my cousin about 1 o’clock to say Shane is dead.”

Foster said she was at a loss as it was not even 24 hours before that he spoke with her about his possible demise.

“I don’t know what happened but all I know is that now I don’t have my son. He is gone. He was a really jovial person who got along well with people.  I don’t know what he and the other man have, all I know that there was an abrupt end to my son’s life. Shane is no more. He was a good son to me.”

She described him as doting father to his two children, a six-year-old daughter and a nine-month-old son.

“These two children no longer have a father. The little son will not know his father. But I leave everything in the hands of God. He will take vengeance. I leave everything in his hands,” she concluded.

The end is near

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Deputy Superintendent of Police, Angela McIntosh-Gayle (at podium), gives an update on the current Enhanced Security Measures in St. James and what to expect when the emergency crime tactic is lifted. – Sashane Shakes photo
  • Life after SOPE for St. James

Sashane Shakes

Although the once crime-plagued St. James is benefiting from yet another extension of the State of Public Emergency, concerned residents are growing anxious as they are aware that legally, the crime-fighting tactic cannot go on for much longer. As a result, many are seeking answers regarding their safety following the impending removal of the government’s premiere crime-fighting strategy.

Not to worry, however, assures Deputy Superintendent of Police, Angela McIntosh-Gayle, head of the Citizen Security and Safety Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), who informed last Thursday’s meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Montego Bay that not much will change in the joint forces’ operations.

McIntosh-Gayle gave a detailed update concerning plans to maintain a strategic and effective operation regarding crime and violence when the emergency crime plan is lifted, revealing that the divisional crime plan will align with the Ministry of National Security’s five pillar crime-fighting strategy: to strengthen the performance and accountability framework, to strengthen violence attribution framework, to arrest and charge high value targets, to ensure effective occupation of public spaces and to strengthen the internal and external communication channel.

FEWER POWERS, MAINTAINED INTENSITY

In her address, DSP McIntosh-Gayle, who was guest speaker at the meeting, stated that public spaces will be occupied, but the law enforcers will be operating without some privileges that were afforded to them under the Enhanced Security Measures (ESM). “We’re going to increase our numbers out there just the same; the only difference is that we won’t have that power. Certain powers will be taken from us but notwithstanding we will be operating the same way. Public order operations in the town centre and the main thoroughfare will continue to ensure vendors, public and private vehicles, drivers comply with the law.”

Already established with the hope to maintain a relationship with the younger generation, she disclosed that there will be the implementation and continuation of police youth clubs in all schools starting from as early as basic school. Also, there will be mentorship programmes which have already been established in the schools which aim to provide intractable children with role models. The plan is to go into schools once per week and invite guest speakers to support and uplift the youth.

STABILITY THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

This, it is hoped, will foster timely developmental socialization and interaction with children. “Let them understand that when the undesirables come around and start giving them money and telling them to go and do otherwise, they will understand that that is not the way forward. We want to groom them, capture them from that tender age,” said DSP McIntosh-Gayle.

In continuation, she stated that the JCF has established stakeholder group partnerships with the mayor, police, National Works Agency, Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, fire service, Transport Authority, Peace Management Initiative and other agencies to ensure that all corrective measures are implemented; to ensure the law and order returns to and is maintained in St. James. This, DSP McIntosh-Gayle acknowledged, will continue to be enforced after the ESM is lifted in the parish.

Additionally, lawmen will proceed with the enforcement of the municipal laws, focusing on some of the small but overlooked details such as the traffic management, vending in restrictive areas and the proper use of roadways by both pedestrians and motorists.

‘YOU CANNOT HARBOUR THESE CRIMINALS!’

She is also encouraging citizens to report mistrustful occurrences which include, but are not limited to the relocation of criminals to communities that are not under the radar. “You cannot harbour these criminals, you have to report them. Even if you don’t know whether or not they are criminal elements, what you need to do is tell someone.”

Additionally, she highlighted that the neighbourhood watch and citizens’ associations need to remain vigilant and report anything that looks suspicious or out of the ordinary in order to ensure public safety and protection of the tourism product. “We cannot have a parish that is the tourist capital of runaway crime like this,” she said.

Law enforcement has been and plans to continue to use sports as an avenue to reach out to members of unstructured communities. They’ve participated in the Corner League in the volatile communities of Flanker, Norwood and Salt Spring, to name a few. The police participate and play in a football league and domino tournament in order to build relationships and not segregate members of society.

Mother, son in double murder

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Uton Crocket

Michael Nattoo – Staff Reporter

Even as nationally reported statistics suggest that incidents of violent crime are trending downwards, residents of Bins Lane in Lucea, Hanover, are left to question the validity of such reports, as this past Wednesday, August 15, a mother and her son were mercilessly cut down in a hail of bullets, leaving the once quiet community terrified and on edge.

In what some residents are claiming may be a targeted attack, 44-year-old Carlene Graver, otherwise called Debbie, a shopkeeper, and her 24-year-old son, Uton Crocket, otherwise called ‘Bigga’, along with another man, were at home in their one-bedroom apartment watching a game of cricket, about 9:30 p.m.

Information reaching this newsroom from the police is that shortly after, several men, all armed with handguns, invaded the yard in the relatively clustered community. Further reports suggest that the men approached the premises from the back, where they then breached the one-bedroom apartment and opened fire, killing Graver and Crocket on the spot.

Carlene Graver

The other man managed to escape the onslaught, sustaining just two gunshot wounds to both thighs. He was assisted to the Noel Holmes Hospital, where he was treated and admitted in stable condition.

The police were shortly after summoned to the scene, where CSI agents observed the bullet-riddled body of Graver, clad in a blue jeans skirt and a black blouse, lying lifeless on its back, while just a few meters away, Crocket’s body, also bullet-riddled, laid face down, clad in burgundy underpants.

Further processing of the crime scene seems to support some residents’ report to this newsroom that the shooting went on for an extended period of time, as investigators from the Area One police reported recovering 29 nine (9) mm spent casings, fifteen (15) .45 spent casings, nine (9) expended bullets, and one magazine with nine (9) mm cartridges.

Investigators are yet to determine a motive for the tragic shooting, but unconfirmed reports suggest that this recent assault is just another in a series targeting Graver and Crocket, as well as family members of theirs.

Just recently, a relative of theirs was pounced upon and shot and killed while coming from a football match, leaving some residents to believe that the strike on the mother-son duo may have been months in the making.

The police were unable to comment on such reports, and instead revealed that investigations continue.

 

St. James Custos takes 400 youths off streets

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Conrad Pitkin

Clinton Pickering – Freelance Writer

 

Custos of St. James, Bishop Conrad Pitkin, has been putting words into action in fulfilment of his pledge to engage young people in an effort to turn around the lives of what he has classified as “deserving youths.”

Committed to the belief that “if we can engage our young people in positive activities, we will be able to minimize and cauterize the violence and crime we’ve been experiencing on our country,” Bishop Pitkin has spearheaded a ‘youth enrichment programme’ for hundreds of young people.

Supported by the Ministry of Education, over the past five weeks, the programme has kept over 400 young people off the streets of Montego Bay. Having actively engaged them, at 10:00 o’clock this morning, they will be presented with certificates of participation at a graduation ceremony at Faith Temple Assemblies of God Church.

“They will be assessed also and given certification from HEART in various skills which will equip them for the job market. Some will have an opportunity to go back to school to complete their education,” said Bishop Pitkin.

The initiative was disclosed at the 24th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Past Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Benevolent Society (Chapter One) at the Verney House Resort last Thursday. Bishop Pitkin, who was guest speaker, said, “Even though we’re at the fifth week, persons are still calling, knocking at our door because they have recognized that they didn’t make the best of the time they had before but now they want to do something.”

He told the ex-cops that opportunity was not just a once in a lifetime thing, but presented itself every day and “they could be a tremendous impact on our young people and our country today.”

ENRICH COMMUNITIES

Having commended the retired JCF officers for their service to country, Bishop Pitkin, called on them to continue serving as volunteers. “Ladies and gentlemen, your country needs you more than any other time in your service. I say that today because when you look around and you see what is happening, you have the prerequisite in your skills and your experience that can be used to enrich communities, not just in St James but across Jamaica,” he implored them.

He challenged them to plan activities among youth groups in their respective communities “so as to avoid or lessen crime and violence in these areas,” and they would experience immense satisfaction from knowing that they still could contribute to the safety and stability of their country.

Custos Pitkin suggested to them that, “You can be linked with persons and other particular organizations like HEART Trust NTA, National Youth Service, Jamaica Social Investment Fund, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, ministries of government and other specific community organizations which can enhance the lives of our youths. Our young people need fathers and mothers who they may not have on the home that they can look up to.”

 

Whither CUMI?

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Nurse Joy Crooks

Sashane Shakes

  • Crooks’ exit draws near

With the steadily increasing number of mentally challenged and homeless persons on the streets of the resort city of Montego Bay, there are grave concerns for their wellbeing with the imminent departure of their main benefactor, Nurse Joy Crooks.

This is coupled with the financial, staffing and other challenges facing the main institution championing their cause, the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill, CUMI.

Nurse Crooks, founder/administrator at CUMI, is slated to leave Jamaica this year to reside abroad and it’s now a scramble as to who will fill those large altruistic shoes.

A cause of major concern, which further highlights the number of the good deeds done by Crooks, is the limited and waning number of individuals qualified to care for the mentally challenged. This indeed affects the efficiency at CUMI, as she recently revealed that the institution currently has a team consisting of only five persons – a cook, a security officer, two nurses, one of whom is trained in dealing with mental illness, and Crooks.

While CUMI can be credited as one of the focal points of bringing forth the awareness and acceptance of mental illness, it can’t manage the issue alone in the West and it certainly will suffer a significant blow when Crooks leaves. The organization, having provided service for over 27 years, had Crooks as a founder, administrator and voice of the less fortunate and mentally challenged.

Studies show that the causes of mental health conditions in Jamaicans are due to alcohol abuse, drug abuse, substance abuse and mania. Also, the rate of depression is higher among Jamaicans than Guyanese (7.4% vs. 4.1%). Social and economic factors also play a critical role in the continuously rising disorder, especially considering that persons have fallen on harsh economic times.

With the increase in mentally challenged persons roaming the streets, particularly in the urban areas of Montego Bay, there is worry as to who will take over, unashamedly, care for the victims of the invisible gun – mental illness.

INVADING HIP STRIP

It has become troublesome as homeless persons are relocating to the Hip Strip area and this could severely impact the tourism product as visitors are increasingly avoiding the area in order to steer clear of them.

CUMI, under the care of Nurse Crooks, has had several success stories of mentally challenged persons who have made a turnaround. Two persons in particular are Lukey and Winston. Winston, who was very unstable and had trips in and out of the institution, is now fully rehabilitated and has been able to hold a job for the past sixteen years.

The search, which started last year in order to decipher who will take over from Crooks when she departs to live in London this year, is yet to put forth an individual as selfless, committed and giving as her.

 

9-vehicle collision

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Michael Nattoo/Shamir Brown

A female firefighter, despite being severely wounded and bleeding from the face, proved the triumphant heroine in a nine-vehicle collision which occurred at the intersection of Market and King Streets in Montego Bay, St. James yesterday, August 7, 2018.

Bystanders, a pregnant woman and her husband, as well as an unsuspecting taxi operator, all narrowly escaped death, thanks to the heroics of the wounded firewoman, who was also the driver of the firetruck. By all reports, the miraculous outcome of zero deaths in such a mass collision is all thanks to her.

According to eyewitnesses, the series of events which resulted in the nine-vehicle collision all seem reminiscent of a scene from a Hollywood thriller.

Reports reaching this newsroom are that the firetruck, which operates from the Ironshore station, was travelling along Market Street, en route to the scene of an incident of fire at Barracks Road some minutes after 2 p.m., when disaster struck.

On reaching the intersection of King and Market Streets, the firetruck, moving with its usual urgency, was forced to come to a sudden halt, after recognizing that contact was imminent with a moving Mini Cooper, which eyewitnesses say was also utilizing the roadway. The impact of that collision, it was revealed, sent the firetruck swerving. That collision was the first domino to fall in that line of collisions.

Skidding along on two wheels, according to additional eyewitness reports, the firetruck then slammed into a Toyota Wish, then into a Suzuki SX4, before coming to a final stop in the side of a Toyota Corolla, while also breaking two utility poles. The other vehicles affected by the domino effect of the high impact collisions included a Nissan AD Wagon, a Toyota Probox, a Honda Civic and a Toyota Fielder.

FIREWOMAN’S HEROICS

Though tragedy was averted for all, none involved in the crash seemed more grateful than Robert McKenzie, the taxi operator who was sitting in his Toyota Wish, frozen with his hot soup in hand, watching as the firetruck came careening towards him. That he left that incident alive, McKenzie is counting his blessings, choosing to believe that God spared his life from certain death.

According to the shaken McKenzie, he was sitting in his car drinking some soup, which he barely realized spilled on him, as he watched the female driver of the fire unit pull of an amazing evasive driving maneuver, which ultimately spared his life. Speaking to this newsroom, and seeming to care little about the damage his car sustained, McKenzie had nothing but praises for the firewoman, whom he described as a good driver.

Though the firewoman managed to prevent serious harm to the civilians trapped in harm’s way, she was not so lucky, as during her maneuvers, she sustained a deep cut to the face, which onlookers reported caused major bleeding for the servicewoman.

THE AFTERMATH OF COLLISIONS

She, along with the other firefighters in tow, appeared undaunted, as as soon as the truck came to a complete halt, they sprang into action, rushing to help those who were trapped in their vehicles. It is reported that while bleeding, the firewoman rushed to the Mini Cooper in a bid to safely remove the pregnant woman from the severely damaged vehicle, followed by the removal of her husband, who managed to get out of the car with a little help from the servicemen.

In the aftermath of the collisions, the firewoman, along with the other firefighters, was taken to the hospital to tend to the wound in the face, while the others were treated.

The married couple was also taken to the hospital, but their injuries were not deemed to be as serious.

According to the St. James Fire Department, all persons involved in the wide scale crash are doing well. The department also revealed that the fire unit involved in the crash suffered major damage, and may very well be permanently out of commission.

The police are conducting investigations.

 

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