Seven killed in Trelawny highway crash as second collision hits same road

Seven people are dead and another is fighting for life after a two-vehicle collision on the Falmouth Bypass in Trelawny early Friday, in what authorities say is the deadliest single crash recorded in the parish.

Police and emergency crews reached the scene about 8:30 a.m. and found a box truck and a Toyota Hiace minivan, both described as delivery units, wrecked on the roadway. Five people were travelling in the minivan and three in the truck. Six died shortly after impact; a seventh victim died later Friday afternoon. Names have not been released. Units responded from Falmouth with support from St. James, including pumpers and ambulances. Investigators said the probe is at an early stage.

Hours later, officers were called to a separate crash metres away in Salt Marsh, where a Toyota Voxy struck a motor car. There were no fatalities.

National Road Safety Council vice-chairman Dr Lucien Jones said Jamaica needs a serious public education campaign, citing 157 road deaths since January 1. Transport Minister Daryl Vaz offered government condolences and said Friday’s tragedy underlines the urgent need for a national road-safety behaviour campaign, with related bids already closed and evaluation expected soon.

In Manchester, 19 people have died in 16 crashes this year. Bellefield councillor Mario Mitchell called for stronger police focus on motorcyclists lacking licences and safety gear. Operations officer Deputy Superintendent Valdin Amos said patrols have intensified at hotspots such as Spur Tree Hill and the Winston Jones Highway, and that most incidents so far stem from poor driving and defective vehicles.

In St. Catherine, two Haitian men were found hiding in bushes near Bushy Park, Old Harbour, after residents reported people leaving a small vessel. Senior Superintendent Leighton Gray said Haitian passports identified them and that the boat had been bound for the United States before running into difficulty. Others are believed to have fled by sea. Police warned that harbouring undocumented migrants is a criminal offence; the two men remain in custody.

Separately, opposition land and works spokesperson Loathan Cousins criticised proposed North-South Highway toll increases, saying the framework was negotiated under the Jamaica Labour Party in 2011 and that a 2012 restated agreement was largely a formality. Minister Vaz rejected that account, arguing a binding deal signed in June 2012 under the then People’s National Party administration locks in periodic, inflation-linked toll rises regardless of who is in power.

In other developments, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association called for a national policy on artificial intelligence in schools after CXC reforms to school-based assessments. Scotia Group Jamaica’s plan to go private is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, and the Office of Utilities Regulation’s 2025 mystery shopping survey found long waits and inconsistent answers for customers of JPS, the NWC, Digicel and Flow.