Road crashes claimed 419 lives last year - St Ann family loses three members in one accident

It has been more than two months since Beatrice Brown lost three members of her family - her daughter and two granddaughters in a motor vehicle crash.

Kadean Howard, 34, her sister Rihanna Howard,14, and Kadean's daughter, Jade-Ann McLean, 13, perished in a fiery crash in Discovery Bay, St Ann, on November 8. Jason Gayle, Kadean's common-law husband, also died.

Brown, 55, told THE STAR that although the accident left her in a dark place, she has come to accept the loss.

"Me know say them gone so me try not to worry myself. I miss them so much but there is nothing I can do but to make myself alright," Brown told THE STAR. "Only when people bring up their names and so it bothers me a lot, so that's why I try to avoid talking about them."

Burst into flames

Reports from the police are that about 7:50 am, a Toyota Fielder motor car, reportedly driven by Gayle, was travelling towards Trelawny when it got out of control and slammed into a Mercedes-Benz travelling in the opposite direction. The Fielder then overturned and burst into flames. The four victims died at the scene.

Some 419 persons died on the nation's roads in crashes in 2020, data from the Road Safety Unity of the Ministry of Transport and Mining shows. The figure represents a decrease from the 440 road deaths that were recorded in 2019. The 419 road deaths number is the second highest on record, and as is the case with each fatal collision, persons have been left to mourn the untimely loss of loved ones.

Yesterday Brown, a mother of six, said that it has not been easy dealing with the tragic November event.

"The other children dem don't leave me out, everybody is here comforting me because they know what it has been like for me," she said. "I'm not gonna deny, I miss them dearly because they never leave me out when they were alive, but I hope they are all in a better place."

Shernette Martin, 36, sister to Kadean and Rihanna, said that she, too, is finding it hard to cope.

"We are hanging there and it is not easy, but there is nothing we can do at this point," she said. "Sometimes we talk about it as a family and accept the fact that they are gone, because life goes on," Martin said.

The Gibraltar, St Ann, family is still awaiting post-mortem examinations to be done before they are able to set a date for the burial of their loved ones.