Utech Athlete recovering after surgery

Keino Hewitt, one of the University of Technology (UTech) athletes who were involved in a deadly car crash on Tuesday, has undergone surgery at the University Hospital of the West Indies yesterday, STAR Sports understands.

Hewitt needed emergency surgery to prevent being paralysed after the car in which he was a passenger on Tuesday collided with a Jamaica Urban Transit Company in Rockfort, east Kingston.

He and Kimberly Leach, his teammate, were taken to the hospital while one of the other occupants of the vehicle died.

Hewitt's teammates and fellow MVP Track Club athletes launched a drive to raise the US$4,000 (around J$545,000) needed for the surgery.

He suffered broken legs and an injury to his spine, which threatened permanent paralysis.

Bruce James, president of MVP Track Club, which is based at UTech, confirmed to STAR Sports that Hewitt has done the surgery.

"He did the surgery and we are watching to see how he responds and recover," James said.

The incident happened exactly one year and a day since another UTech student athlete, Jordan Scott, was killed in a car crash on Hope Road. Sprinter Michael Campbell was also involved in that crash and is still recovering from his injuries.