THE police yesterday said the driver of the Hino truck involved in Wednesday’s deadly accident with a Toyota Hiace minibus along Llandovery main road in St Ann in which five persons died, could likely be charged.

Yesterday, investigating officer Constable Michael Stewart indicated that the chances of the truck driver being charged were “most likely” – a conclusion apparently drawn after the cause of the accident was ascertained.

There were conflicting reports as to how the deadly accident occurred Wednesday night. But yesterday the police, in an official report, said the crash occurred after the truck swerved and skidded on the road, made slippery by afternoon showers, as the driver tried to avoid a collision with a car.

According to Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) liaison officer for St Ann, Stacey Ann Hawkins, the bus, registered PD 0275, was proceeding east towards St Ann’s Bay while the truck was travelling in the opposite direction.

She said that on reaching the vicinity of the Little River, a car proceeded to overtake the truck and in order to avoid a head-on collision the driver swerved to the left. The truck, however, skidded and spun in the road, ending up in the path of the bus which slammed into it.

Four of the victims – bus driver Marklyn Gibbons; 17-year-old Brown’s Town Community College student Lamar Finnigan; 21-year-old Nicola Jarrett and 18-year-old Kerri-Ann Blair – died instantly while a fifth victim, 28-year-old cosmetology student Olivene Bailey died at hospital.