Driver involved in deadly accident offered bail

A taxi operator and merchandiser who was involved in a motor accident last Friday along Coke Drive in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, in which one person died and another was hospitalised was offered bail when he appeared in the St Elizabeth Parish court in Black River on Wednesday.

David Samuels, 50, of Coke Drive in Santa Cruz, is charged with causing death by careless driving, resulting from the accident, which involved a motor car and a motorcycle.

The accident claimed the life of 25-year-old Shaneek Fagan of Fagan Town on the outskirts of Santa Cruz.

Samuels was offered bail in the sum of $150,000 with surety and is scheduled to return to court on December 10.

Samuels first appeared in court on Tuesday, but the court was told that the case file was not ready.

However, on Wednesday, when he again appeared, the court had to wait for more than an hour for the case file to be ready.

According to reports, the accident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on August 24.

It was reported that a motorcycle that was travelling along Coke Drive in a southerly direction and a motor car travelling in the opposite direction collided head-on.

Both the driver of the motorcycle and Miss Fagan, who was the pillion rider, were flung from the motorcycle on impact and received several head injuries.

They were both rushed to the Black River Hospital, where Miss Fagan died while being treated and the driver of the motorcycle was admitted in a serious condition.

Preliminary investigations revealed that neither the driver nor the pillion rider of the motorcycle was wearing a protective helmet.

It was also revealed that improper use of the roadway was the cause of the accident.