Jamaica road deaths pass 100 as St. Mary crash kills pedestrian

A pedestrian killed in St. Mary on Thursday night has pushed Jamaica’s road death toll for 2026 past 100, according to road safety officials.

The crash occurred around 8:45 p.m. along a main road in the parish. Police said a silver Toyota Hiace motor truck collided with 28-year-old Anil Tavvaris, who died at the scene. Early reports indicate Tavvaris may have stepped into the roadway when the vehicle struck him.

Vice-chairman of the National Road Safety Council, Dr. Lucian Jones, said reaching 100 deaths later in the year than in 2024 and 2025 offers some encouragement, but each life lost remains unacceptable because such deaths are preventable. Council data show 100 fatalities were recorded by 6 April last year and by 20 March in 2024. Dr. Paris Leo of the council said Jamaica could see roughly a 30 per cent drop compared with the 374 deaths recorded last year, though much work remains.

Jones said decisions aligned with World Health Organization mandates will be announced in due course, including measures to address low seat-belt use, reported at about 20 per cent, widespread failure to wear certified helmets, at about 40 per cent, and speeding, which he identified as the leading cause of deaths and serious injuries.

In a separate crash on Thursday afternoon along the Mammee Bay main road in St. Ann, police said a Kenworth motor truck overturned near a roundabout and struck a Volkswagen Amarok travelling in the same direction. Three people were hurt, including a four-year-old child. The Amarok driver, a senior director at Dolphin Cove, the child and the truck driver were taken to hospital. Investigations continue.

In Kingston, Justice Dale Palmer is expected to rule on Monday whether a statement allegedly given by deceased witness Chenise Robinson may be admitted in the trial over the 7 February 2020 killing of Noah Smith. The issue arose after witnesses gave conflicting accounts about Robinson’s identity and death. Defence counsel Denise Hinson argued the prosecution was improperly seeking another chance to bolster identification evidence after its case had closed. Michael Wyman, Jerome Spike, Nashan Guest and Giovanni Macdonald face counts linked to facilitating robbery and murder.

Government Senator Marilyn Morgan, parliamentary secretary in the education ministry, told Parliament that donations received by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management for Hurricane Melissa relief must be regularized through the finance ministry before full government accounting applies. Morgan assured donors that contributed funds would support recovery, especially in western Jamaica, including shelter programmes cited by Commander Gail as moving forward over coming weeks.

Opposition spokesperson Dr. Angela Brown-Burke criticized the disaster response, saying less than two per cent of collected Melissa funds had been spent and accusing the system of being hampered by political appointees.

In Hanover, Superintendent Andrew Nish told the municipal corporation that major crime fell about 16 per cent parish-wide since the start of 2026, but Sandy Bay remains troubled after a recent two-week curfew ended. He reported a slight rise in murders and said police are pairing community intervention with targeted operations.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Antoinette Anderson-Lawrence said the risk of hantavirus spreading locally is very low because the rodents linked to the virus are not found in Jamaica and no cases have been recorded. Travellers from affected countries would be isolated and assessed if needed.

In Parliament, Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert stopped St. James Southern MP Nikisha Burchell from opening a contribution in Jamaican Creole, citing Standing Order 6, which requires proceedings in English. Political analyst Dr. Nadine Spence and language educator Dr. Nicole Scott said the dispute highlights the need to reform standing orders and give official recognition to Jamaican, rather than relying on ad hoc interpretation by the chair.