(Jamaica Observer) CONTENT, St James — Up to yesterday, a thick cloud of gloom cloaked this quiet community which has been rocked by news that one of their own, his two daughters and their mother died in a four-vehicle collision near the Falmouth overhead bypass bridge in Trelawny, Monday night.
The four were reportedly returning from the annual Easter motor-racing event at Dover in St Ann when the crash occurred.
The police have given the names of the deceased as 32-year-old farmer Rodney Drummond of Content, Adelphi, St James; 33-year-old hotel worker Tanisha Small of Hopewell, Hanover; and their two daughters Tia and Ranisha Drummond, five and eight years old respectively.
Yesterday, six of the several other crash victims who were rushed to the nearby Falmouth Public Hospital for treatment remained hospitalised. However, the state of their injuries is not immediately known.
Police report that the four who died were in a Nissan motor car driven by Drummond and heading in the direction of Montego Bay.
According to the police, about 7:50 pm Drummond was attempting to overtake a line of traffic and collided into a Toyota Fortuner travelling in the opposite direction.
The impact, the police said, caused the driver of the Fortuner to lose control of the vehicle and it slammed into a Toyota Coaster bus which was also travelling towards Duncans. A Honda CRV, which was travelling in the opposite direction, was also hit in the crash.
Tia and Ranisha were taken to hospital where they succumbed to their injuries, while their parents died on the spot.
Personnel from the Police Traffic Department in Falmouth are investigating.
The tragic event attracted a large crowd on the highway which resulted in a massive pile-up of traffic, which lasted for hours.
Drummond’s lifeless body was seen sprawled on a section of the road, while that of Small’s was covered as it lay in another section, not far away.
Thirty-two-year-old farmer Rodney Drummond of Content, Adelphi, St James; and 33-year-old hotel worker Tanisha Small of Hopewell, Hanover, with their two daughters Tia (right) and Ranisha Drummond, five and eight respectively. (Jamaica Observer photo)
Thirty-two-year-old farmer Rodney Drummond of Content, Adelphi, St James; and 33-year-old hotel worker Tanisha Small of Hopewell, Hanover, with their two daughters Tia (right) and Ranisha Drummond, five and eight respectively. (Jamaica Observer photo)
The mangled remains of the Nissan motor vehicle, the extensively damaged Fortuner and CRV and the dented Coaster beside pieces of metal on the road, encircled by police tape, told of the tragic incident.
Yesterday, upon entering a section of the Content community, the grim looks on the faces of a number of community members spoke to their pain.
Drummond’s uncle, Clive McFarlane, recalled that Sunday, when his nephew told him he was going to the car-racing event in Dover, he warned him to be careful. The distraught uncle reflected that he was assured by Drummond that he would be “under restriction”, because he would be travelling with his family.
“He tend to do some driving but I always talk to him about it and he said he put it down,” McFarlane remembered.
“He is the first nephew of my family. I can remember the first day his mother took him from the hospital, and he partially grew up with me. I can tell you that he was a very co-operative youth who is always looking out for his family. I really, really miss him. There is no member in my family to me like him. The last time I saw him was on Sunday. He came by my house and I cooked and gave him some,” McFarlane said.
Another family member, Shirley Drummond, also spoke kindly of the dead driver.
“He had a passion for racing and he used to drive a racing car. He is a person who loved to drive,” she said. “It is like since me get the news all now me still nervous. Is not a bad person. I get along with him alright. Everybody just don’t get a good grip of ourselves as yet. I didn’t get a good rest last night because of it.”
