FORTY-THREE year old Ralph Erskine, the driver whose car mowed down 11 persons, one fatally, on the Ken Jones Highway in St Thomas Sunday afternoon, was yesterday charged with manslaughter.

He is scheduled to appear before the court on Thursday to answer to the charge.

Icilda Williams, 62, died from injuries she received after the car driven by Erskine ran into a group of persons with whom she was standing after their vehicle broke down along the highway.

The group, all residents of Port Antonio, were on their way to a funeral in St Thomas.

The injured were taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital where Williams, along with five others — one female and four males — were admitted and another five treated and released. She later died from her injuries.

Yesterday, senior medical officer at the hospital, Dr Cecil Bachelor, said three of the five admitted to his hospital were discharged early Monday while the remaining two [males] were transferred to the Port Antonio Hospital to undergo x-rays.

“The two had minor fractures and since our x-ray services were down we thought it wise to transfer them to Port Antonio instead of having to send them to Kingston,” Dr Bachelor told the Observer.

According to the police, Erskine who was part of a funeral convoy heading to the burial of three children in Portland, lost control of his vehicle and slammed into the group.

The accident happened at about 1:15pm.

On Sunday, Erskine told the Observer that he could do little as the driver in front made a sudden stop — forcing him to swerve which caused the car to skid into the group.

The convoy was heading to an interment in Hopfield, Portland for three children — 12-year-old Anna-Kay Roberts and her two younger brothers, Carlton Carty, eight and six-year-old Devante Carty — who themselves were mowed down by a taxi cab nearly three weeks ago.

The driver of the killer-car, 20-year-old Robert Clayton was allegedly racing with another 20-year-old, Simroy Dixon when the accident occurred.

Clayton is currently before the courts facing a triple murder charge, while Dixon is on a charge of dangerous driving.