Transport Authority under scrutiny amid claims high-speed chase led to deadly Clarendon crash

By Clinton McGregor    

 

There is mounting concern that a high-speed chase by members of the Transport Authority led to Monday morning's deadly crash in Clarendon that resulted in the deaths of two students and the injuring of several others.

 

The two students were killed in a two-vehicle collision on the Bustamante Highway about 8 a.m.

 

The students, a boy and a girl, attended Lennon High School in the parish.

 

It's reported that Transport Authority personnel were allegedly chasing the driver of a Subaru Impreza motorcar which was transporting students from May Pen to Lennon in Mocho, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed head-on into a Toyota Probox motor vehicle which was also transporting students.

 

The deceased were passengers in the Subaru.

 

Radio Jamaica News was informed that the driver of the Subaru, who fled the scene, was later captured at Norman Manley International Airport trying to leave the country.

 

This was disclosed by Deputy Superintendent Owen Brown, Territorial Officer for the Clarendon Police Division, who said the driver was now in custody at May Pen police station where he could soon be charged with causing death by dangerous driving. 

 

Three injured students remain hospitalised, one of them said to be in critical condition.

 

The driver of the Probox is also receiving treatment.

 

 

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz, while expressing condolences to the families of the crash victims, said authorities are working to ensure those responsible for the fatal traffic crash are held to account.

 

He also said the government is committed to strengthening the rural school bus programme to ensure students have access to safe, dependable transportation and to minimise the number of children travelling in vehicles being operated by rogue drivers.

 

A proposal for the operations of the rural school bus programme has been completed and will be presented to Cabinet. 

 

"I will be bringing to Cabinet on Monday a presentation for the proposed school bus transport system for students. On Monday I get further directives from Cabinet, at which point I will make public what the next steps are. But it remains a very, very serious priority for me as every day that it's not implemented the lives are at risk based on the transport methods," said Mr. Vaz. 

 

The Minister said the Transport Authority is to provide a report on Monday's incident.

 

He further noted that the authority has a 'no chasing' and 'no blocking' policy which is applicable to all motorists.

 

The Transport minister also reminded the public to refrain from recording or sharing graphic images from the crash, noting that such actions not only cause additional distress to the grieving families but also violate the dignity and privacy of those involved. 

 

Meanwhile, Shadow Minister of Transport Mikael Phillips, has called for the Transport Authority to provide information whether a high-speed chase by its personnel led to the deadly crash.

 

"While we are still awaiting details preceding the accident, while confirmation is pending, it is critical to emphasise the dangers posed by high-speed pursuit especially when passengers are involved. We are calling for a comprehensive review of enforcement practices of the Transport Authority to prioritise the safety of all road users. Today is a sombre reminder of the shared responsibility we all bear to ensure road safety," Mr. Phillips lamented.    

 

Probe needed 

 

President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services, Egerton Newman, has called for the Transport Ministry to conduct a high-level probe into the incident.

 

He accused the police and Transport Authority personnel of ignoring instructions from the Ministry for them to refrain from chasing public passenger vehicles. 

 

"We have been hearing from the Transport Authority that they no longer chase vehicles, they no longer chase taxis and buses, PPV vehicles. But they continue unabated," he claimed. 

 

"When the taximan does something wrong, I think it is very easy to commandeer that person by the way of using technology to identify, through that licence plate, identify the owner and from the owner to the driver, and sometimes the driver is the owner. You don't have to chase them, right, because you chase them because maybe they stop somewhere wrong or maybe they have one passenger more. The lives of the passengers to me is more important than arresting the driver," he suggested. 

 

The TODDS president also issued a word of caution to public passenger vehicle operators who drive recklessly with scant regard for other road users.

 

"I would urge our drivers - bus, taxi and by extension all drivers -

to consider other users of the road. Have respect for yourself and your neighbours - your neighbours meaning the other drivers on the road. We cannot continue like this," he bemoaned, citing the more than 300 road fatalities since the start of the year.   

 

 

In the meantime, the Transport Authority said a team from its Investigative Unit in Kingston was dispatched to Clarendon to investigate the incident. 

 

The Authority said it received a report of the crash involving a private motor vehicle operating as a taxi and a public passenger vehicle.

 

It said it deeply regrets the loss of lives, adding that as more information becomes available, further updates will be provided.

 

The Authority again urged the commuting public to choose only legal public passenger vehicles as their mode of transportation.