UNITY HALL, St James — Up to late Friday afternoon Delroy Thompson was still in disbelief following Thursday night's bizarre accident on a stretch of the St James main road which left his mother and two of his brothers dead. A third brother, who also sustained injuries as a result of the impact of the crash, remained in hospital last night.

The police have identified the deceased — all of Guava Walk in Unity Hall, St James — as 75-year-old housewife Hazel Thompson, her sons, 56-year-old Cleveland Thompson, and 54-year-old Barrington Thompson, who were both masons.

The accident occurred while the mother was being transported to hospital for treatment. A family member told the Jamaica Observer that the sugar level of the 75-year-old matriarch had been low, so concerned family decided to take her to hospital for treatment.

Delroy, who was overcome with grief as he spoke to the newspaper, said he had also been on his way to the hospital.

"I was in a different car. They were a distance ahead of me. Me just go see them hitch up in a one pole," he said, suggesting that the driver of the vehicle got out control and hit a utility pole.

According to the Corporate Communications Unit (CCU), the communications arm of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, about 11:50 pm, Barrington was driving a Nissan AD wagon motor car with Hazel and Cleveland aboard. Upon reaching a section of the AGS Coombs Boulevard in Freeport he lost control of the motor vehicle and slammed into a median. "All three persons sustained multiple injuries and were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead," the CCU report indicated. According to a family member, a third brother and his niece who were also on-board the vehicle sustained injuries.

When the Observer visited Guava Walk Friday afternoon, the news team was met with sombre faces. Shell-shocked community members lined both sides of the roadway in front of the house where the deceased family lived. Others, including close relatives, were also seen milling around in the yard.

"A mother and two son died, another son is in [operating] theatre and her granddaughter is in hospital," a grieving female family member told the Observer. "Everybody shock. Me can't believe. "Her sugar count go down. So they were rushing her to hospital," another distraught relative reluctantly chimed in.

Another female family member who was among the gathering complained that the accident left her in shock and pain. "Me belly bottom weak, is me family dem," she cried.

The death of the three family members comes sharply on the heels of an accident involving two buses in Braco, Trelawny last week which left three people, including a couple dead.That accident involved a Toyota Hiace and a Toyota Coaster bus which was transporting hotel workers.

Commenting on that fatal accident at a Jamaica Constabulary Force press conference on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson said additional patrols will be assigned on the North Coast Highway.

"We have had those discussions with PSTEB (Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch) and also around putting out additional highway patrol officers along that corridor. There are some additional assets that are supposed to be coming to the area for St James and Trelawny to deal with this, specifically along that corridor," Anderson said.

Now you can read the Jamaica Observer ePaper anytime, anywhere. The Jamaica Observer ePaper is available to you at home or at work, and is the same edition as the printed copy available at https://bit.ly/epaper-login