Five people were killed, and fifteen others were injured on Wednesday following a serious crash involving a Toyota Hiace minibus on the PJ Patterson Highway in St Catherine. The collision happened around 3:00 pm near the Vineyard toll booth and involved a public passenger bus travelling the Mandeville to Kingston route.
Road safety advocate Dr Lucien Jones confirmed that three males and two females were among the deceased, and a two-year-old child was included among the injured. Preliminary reports indicate that a tyre blowout caused the driver to lose control. The vehicle collided with a guardrail and overturned several times, ejecting several passengers.
Emergency services, including the police and the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s Emergency Medical Services, responded quickly. The injured were transported to Spanish Town Hospital, where CEO Jacqueline Ellis confirmed that the hospital’s emergency response plan was activated to manage the sudden surge in patients.
Dr Jones emphasised that this tragedy raises the national road fatality count to 342 for the year and serves as a reminder of the need for safer driving practices, vehicle maintenance, and full enforcement of the Road Traffic Act.
The crash has renewed calls for vigilance on the roads as authorities continue their investigations into the exact cause of the incident.