Man killed in crash wanted to get baptised - Family suffers second loss in five months

Months after laying their mother to rest, the siblings of Leonard Clarke are now planning his funeral.

The 53-year-old taxi driver, affectionately called 'Blacks', died Thursday morning in a two-vehicle collision on the Spring Hill main road in Trelawny.

Sandrea Clarke, one of Clarke's 16 siblings, said that he was heading towards Montego Bay, taking his son Bobby, who was driving, to the airport.

"Just last December, we buried our mother and now him," she said.

Sandrea, who is a Christian, revealed that days before the accident, she had encouraged her brother to give his life to the Lord.

"He told me he wasn't ready; It is his destiny," she said.

Shanieka Simpson, Clarke's stepmother, who was a passenger in the ill-fated car, suffered injuries to her face and head.

She was first taken to the Falmouth Hospital before being transferred to the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

According to the Corporate Communications Unit, about 7:30 a.m., another vehicle got out of control and ran into Clarke's vehicle.

While police did not specify the make and model of the car, photos sent to THE STAR showed a grey motor car with the King Alarm branding.

An alleged eyewitness, who said he was travelling in front of the Corolla, told THE STAR: "The King Alarm vehicle was heading towards Duncans when it hit the metal rail and spun into the path of the Corolla. Both cars were spinning until one came to rest on the rails and the other over in the gully."

Clarke's death brings to 10 the number of persons who have died as a result of accidents on Trelawny's roads.

He is also the third person to have died in the vicinity of Spring Hill on the North Coast Highway.

Superintendent Winston Milton, officer in charge of the Trelawny police, is appealing to drivers to obey the speed limit and respect the roads, especially when the road is wet.

He also advised motorists to never forget to wear their seat belts.