Education ministry to deploy support teams after 4 students killed in St Ann crash
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The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information will deploy teams on Monday to support school communities mourning the deaths of four teenagers in a three-vehicle crash in Ocho Rios, St Ann on Saturday.
Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon said assistance would be provided to students, teachers and other staff affected by the tragedy.
“The death of any child is heartbreaking and when you have the death of four at the same time, I can’t imagine what those parents are going through and what their friends are going through and their wider school community,” she said.
Those killed in the crash were Shantana Leonard, 17, of Brown’s Town High School; Kenneil Lyle, 16, of Iona High School; and Marcodine Maxwell, 16, and Rajani Abdul, both of Oracabessa High School.
Police said Leonard was driving a Toyota Vitz motor car with the other teenagers as passengers when it was involved in a collision with two Mercedes-Benz vehicles along DaCosta Drive. All four were pronounced dead at hospital.
Morris Dixon said the ministry’s immediate priority was ensuring that the affected school communities receive support.
“I know on Monday that our teams will be deployed at all of the schools and we will do our best to support the community,” she said.
The minister also urged motorists to exercise greater responsibility, pointing to the loss of lives in preventable road crashes.
“We have to be responsible on the road. Too many lives are lost because of these incidents on the road that could be avoided if we followed the road code,” she said.
Police reported that the two Mercedes-Benz vehicles were travelling at high speed when one attempted to overtake the other and collided with the Toyota Vitz, pushing it into the path of the second luxury car.
Investigators allege that the drivers and other occupants of the Mercedes-Benz vehicles removed the registration plates and fled. Police have appealed for information to help identify the drivers.
Morris Dixon said the ministry was receiving updates from the Jamaica Constabulary Force and would continue to monitor developments.
“Today all of Jamaica is mourning the death of these children who had their entire lives ahead of them,” she said.
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