- One dead, four hospitalised
What started out as a Valentine’s Day outing for a Linden family
ended in tragedy as one woman is now dead and four others including
a toddler are hospitalised.
Just around 15:00 hours yesterday, 19-year-old Tomika Henville
died on the spot as the car she and four other relatives were
traveling in crashed head on with a Toyota pick-up on the Soesdyke/Linden
Highway.
The others injured are 17 year-old Jamal Assanah, his sister Alesha
Barry, Barry’s daughter, four-year-old Shoncia Goodluck and the
driver of the car, Quincy Dundas. They are all said to be from
Central Amelia’s Ward. According to reports, the incident occurred
at approximately 14:45 hours.
From eyewitnesses’ accounts, the car, PJJ 7592, appeared to have
been racing with another car when tragedy struck. One eyewitness,
Eugene Thorne, said he saw both cars heading toward Georgetown at a
fast rate with the one, PJJ 7592, overtaking the other car.
“This thing happen like real picture story. This car overtake the
other one and the Tundra which was coming in the other direction
tried going in the corner but this car just slam into the Tundra.”
“This car fling high in the air and then land off the road. The
girl in the front seat was on her cell phone because when I run to
the car she still had the phone to her ears,” Thorne recalled.
The man said, himself along with some other friends ran to the
car to assist the injured. He said the woman who was in the front
seat of the car was trapped and they spent close to 15 minutes
trying to free her from the wrecked car. Thorne said by the time
they managed to free the woman she appeared dead. The other injured
persons were placed into a passing car and rushed to the Diamond
Diagnostic Center.
One of the survivors, Jamal Assanah, said it all happened so fast
that he can’t recall what really transpired. He said they were all
heading to a resort on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway when the crash
occurred. Dundas, the driver of the car was also too traumatised as
the dead woman was said to be his fiancée. He escaped with minor
lacerations about his face. The other injured persons were
subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for
further treatment. The toddler, Shoncia is said to be stable and she
is now responding to relatives who went to visit her. Her mother
however is somewhat critical and is experiencing immense pains in
her shoulders and back.
It is not clear if the occupants from the pick-up were injured
but both vehicles suffered extensive damage.
Meanwhile, this newspaper was told that earlier in the day,
Dundas rented the car for the outing.
Up to press time all of the injured were still being treated at the
Georgetown Public Hospital.
Monday, February 15, 2010
