LLANDOVERY, St Ann — The police have been once again pushed to step up their message of caution to road users following yesterday’s crash of a public passenger bus in St Ann which left five people dead. The incident happened about 6:50 am.

The five — Odain Latty a security guard; Karene Johnson, principal of the Orange Hill Basic School in Brown’s Town; Charles-Anthony Jones; Kevin Minto; and a fifth passenger who was still unidentified up until press time last night — died after the Chinese-made 2007 Golden Dragon bus collided with a Rav 4 on the Llandovery main road. The bus was heading to Brown’s Town after picking up passesngers in Ocho Rios.

The police said that the driving shaft of the bus broke causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, which then collided with the Toyota Rav4 that was heading in the opposite direction. The vehicle then overturned on the soft shoulder of the road, spilling its 15 passengers, who included seven students from Westwood and York Castle high schools. A student of the Lime Tree Garden Primary was said to be in critical condition.

The driver of the Rav4 suffered minor injuries, the police said.

“It appeared that it (the bus) lost its driving shaft and some other mechanical part fell off resulting in the driver losing control colliding in a vehicle coming in the other direction… then the bus landed in the soft shoulder,” Superintendent Wayne Cameron, head of the St Ann police, told the Jamaica Observer.

“Speeding was an apparent factor… It’s not for a lack of the police presence on the road,” Supt Cameron alleged, noting that the bus was carrying three more passengers than its capacity.

Several people, including family members of of the accident victims, who had gathered at St Ann’s Bay Hospital, where the victims were taken, complained openly about the conduct of bus drivers on the Brown’s Town route.

“Mi hate Brown’s Town bus dem,” one woman stated.

“Brown’s Town bus dem no take time and drive,” a gentleman added.

“People sit down and be lamb to the slaughter and not saying anything. Mi nah sit down and make dem drive mi so,” another gentleman added.

Stacey Stephenson, a teacher at the Orange Hill Basic School whose principal died in the accident, was among those at the hospital.

“I don’t have any feelings right now. I am wondering if I am still in a dream world. If I am still asleep will somebody wake me,” Stephenson said.

“I was at school when I head that there was an accident in Llandovery and that persons have died,” she said, noting that she began calling Principal Johnson’s phone but got no answer.

“When I got to school I realised that the kitchen was not opened. I called her again… I called both phones and was not getting her. That’s when I realised something was wrong,” Stephenson said.

“I don’t know how she take that bus, because she nuh drive with any and any body,” one family member lamented.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s mother wept uncontrollably and had to be restrained by friends and relatives as she tried to view the body of her daughter.