Rice truck crash on Spur Tree Hill leaves passenger critically injured

MANCHESTER, Jamaica — A crash on the Spur Tree Hill main road in Manchester on Saturday has left two men in hospital, including one who is listed as critical after losing his right arm.

Early information indicates that sometime after 4:00 pm, the men were in a truck carrying rice when the driver failed to keep control of the vehicle. Video from surveillance cameras showed the truck leaving the road, entering a property, and then overturning.

According to the police, the man whose arm was severed had been travelling as a passenger. He and the driver were taken for medical treatment and have both been admitted.

After the crash, people looted the vehicle, taking several bags of rice from the truck.

The Spur Tree main road connects Mandeville and nearby communities with St Elizabeth and areas farther west. The steep roadway is frequently slowed by heavily loaded trucks, and over the years it has been the scene of several deadly truck crashes.