A nasty accident involving two Toyota Coaster passenger buses occurred yesterday along the Golden Spring main road in St Andrew, bringing the heavy early afternoon traffic to a standstill.

Both drivers, who sustained broken limbs, had to be pulled from their respective vehicles by residents who converged quickly on the scene. The drivers, along with several passengers who were also injured in the accident, were taken to the University Hospital.

One of the buses, registered PA7731, which was travelling from Port Antonio to Kingston, was being driven by Damien Brown, while the other, heading to Port Maria from Kingston, was being driven by Mark Henry.

Corporal Horace Brown of the Stony Hill Police Station told the Observer, at the scene of the accident, that “at about 11:55 am a Toyota Coaster bus coming from St Mary, overtook a line of traffic and collided with another Toyota passenger bus travelling in the opposite direction. Both drivers were badly injured and many of the passengers were badly shaken.”

However, Corporal Brown could not ascertain how many persons were injured or the extent of their injuries.

The accident, which took place in the vicinity of the Talks Hotel and the Hearts at Rest Funeral Home, could have been much worse if the bus which was hit had not crashed into the building, but had gone over the steep precipice, characteristic of the area, say onlookers.

“Accidents happen regularly along this stretch, from Stony Hill to Junction. Motorists tend to take the corners too fast and often lose control of the vehicle, that’s what caused so many accidents,” said a Golden Spring resident.