Deadly déjà vu

FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Friday morning’s deadly crash between a minibus and a box truck on the Falmouth-to-Salt Marsh main road, which claimed the lives of seven people and left another critically injured, has revived painful memories of a similar tragedy that unfolded in the area just over one year ago.

For those familiar with the July 6, 2025, single-vehicle crash in which five taxi operators were killed and seven other people injured, this latest crash –– less than a mile away — feels like a grim case of déjà vu.

All three occupants of the box truck reportedly died, while the driver of the bus was the sole survivor of the devastating collision which took place shortly before 8:00 am on Friday.

Up to press time, their identities were yet to be released.

A relative (in blue blouse) is supported by community members at the scene of Friday’s deadly Trelawny crash which left seven dead and another in critical condition. Horace Hines

When the
Jamaica Observer arrived at the scene Friday morning, motor vehicles thronged one side of the heavily used roadway, while the mangled remains of the Toyota Regius bus and the Hino box truck involved in the collision lay on the opposite side, cordoned off with police yellow tape and surrounded by scores of curious onlookers.

Blood, shattered glass, twisted metal and other debris from the two vehicles were strewn across the roadway as emergency personnel, including members of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, and the police, worked tirelessly at the scene.

During a later visit to the hospital, a man dressed in a short-sleeved blue shirt, his face contorted with grief, was seen speaking on a cellular phone. When approached, he painfully explained that the occupants of the bus were construction workers employed to him and were travelling to a work site in St Ann.

He politely declined to say anything further.

“Is mi workers them,” he explained.

The twisted Hino box truck that was involved in a deadly crash which left seven dead in Trelawny Friday morning. Horace Hines

“Please respect my privacy. I can’t do an interview now. You see I am crying,” he said, sobbing softly before walking away while continuing his telephone conversation.

The
Observer later learnt that the occupants of the bus were from St James and were travelling to St Ann. Efforts to obtain comments from grief-stricken relatives and friends, most of them women, who arrived at the crash scene several hours later also proved unsuccessful.

Acting Assistant Commissioner for Area Two of the Jamaica Fire Brigade Roland Walters, said the Falmouth Fire Department received the emergency call at approximately 7:55 am.

The senior firefighter said members of the brigade had to extricate occupants from both vehicles.

Acting assistant commissioner for Area Two of the Jamaica Fire Brigade Roland Walters (right) on the scene of the deadly Trelawny crash which claimed the lives of seven people on Friday. Horace Hines

“We always ask people to exercise due regard on the road.

This incident is a significant one because almost all the people from the vehicles perished in the crash. Only the driver from the bus has been saved,” Walters said.

Police statistics show that up to 6:00 am Friday there had been 166 fatalities on the nation’s roads, compared with 207 during the corresponding period last year. The latest deaths bring the number of people killed in traffic crashes in Trelawny since the start of the year to 21, compared with 15 during the corresponding period last year.

According to vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council Dr Lucien Jones, the council’s mid-year assessment found that while road safety data had improved compared with last year, road fatalities rose sharply in June and July, making them particularly deadly months.

Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force on the scene of Friday’s deadly crash in Trelawny. Horace Hines

“Traditionally, analysing the trends we can forecast that the summer months are going to be terrible, but we never expected this kind of mayhem and carnage on the road in a single crash. What it does is to underscore the point that unless and until we mobilise the entire nation to deal with the second leading cause of violent deaths on our roads in the same way that we have successfully done for homicides, the likelihood for this kind of terrible crash and loss of lives… is going happen,” Jones said.

“We mourn for the families who have lost their loved ones. We commit ourselves to continue the struggle to deal with this terrible scourge on the nation’s roads, but we have to do all that is possible to make sure that this kind of loss of life doesn’t continue,” he added.

Jones argued that “every single aspect of the Road Traffic Act needs to be rolled out as quickly as possible”.

This, he said, would ensure that “all the tools that we have, including public education, enforcement at every level, training and retraining can be mobilised so that we don’t have this kind of chaos and mayhem continuing on our roads.”

The circumstances surrounding Friday’s crash have not yet been fully established, and investigations are continuing. However shortly after the incident Commanding Officer for the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch Senior Superintendent of Police Lloyd Darby, told the
Observer that preliminary investigations suggest the collision resulted from improper overtaking.

Scene from Friday’s tragic crash in Trelawny. Horace Hines

“It is preliminary, but from what we gather so far, it would be driver error negligence,” Darby said.

“We continue to speak about these matters. This is not a case of any slippery road condition or anything like that. This is just a case of that kind of improper judgement to overtake in that manner. So we have to continue to warn and hope that when the general public see these things, they take caution so that it don’t happen to them,” he noted.

An appeal for caution on the roads also came from Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz, who once again made an urgent appeal for greater responsibility and discipline on the roads.

“This morning’s tragedy is another painful reminder that Jamaica continues to suffer the devastating consequences of reckless and irresponsible behaviour on our roads. We continue to lose far too many lives, with every fatal crash leaving families devastated and a nation asking what more can be done. While the Government continues to strengthen road safety measures, every motorist must recognise that the greatest safeguard is responsible behaviour behind the wheel,” Vaz said in a media release Friday afternoon.