Fiery protest after motorcyclist killed in crash
PIPERS CORNER, Westmoreland — Up to late yesterday, Pipers Corner, the route being used as the bypass for motorists travelling between Manchester and Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland, was blocked by residents in a fiery protest.
The residents were furious over the death of 33-year-old mechanic Kashroy Lewis, who was mowed down by a truck on the side of the road yesterday.
According to the residents, shortly before 11:00 yesterday morning, Lewis was attending to his motorcycle at the side of the Pipers Corner road when a truck hit him, killing him on the spot.
Residents said Lewis, who would have celebrated his 34th birthday in three days, is the second father to die after being hit by a truck in the area in a week. Both incidents occurred since the closure of the Ferris main road because of an ageing bridge that had collapsed.
One resident, who gave her name as Gay, said people are living in fear because of the reckless driving by truck drivers.
“Since the bridge in Ferris had broken down, the truck drivers who are coming around here are not driving with caution. Last week Thursday they killed a bike man, leaving his two kids. Today (yesterday), a truck man come again and kill another one, leaving behind his three children,” Gay said.
She added: “We don’t want any big truck around here, because it is not safe for motorists, those riding bicycle or walking. We need the bridge in Ferris to be fixed so that they don’t drive around here. We cannot have them killing off people around here.”
When the Jamaica Observer sought answers from the National Works Agency (NWA) about the repair of the bridge, which has been closed for more than two weeks, community relations officer for the western region, Janel Ricketts, said the agency is currently trying to complete the design and pricing to have the bridge repaired. She was unable to give a timeline for completion.
“The original structure is a bit small, so the thinking is to widen that area. So we are currently in the process of completing the design and pricing of the project to repair the bridge,” stated Ricketts. “I can’t give you a definitive time, but I know that it is something that we are actively looking at right now.”
