Renford Mowen, the taxi driver who died in yesterday’s three-vehicle collision on New Road in Clarendon, had a near-death experience a month ago when a car he was driving burst into flames, forcing him to flee, according to one of his regular passengers.

“Him did have a white car and di car bun up,” a woman who gave her name only as Marcia told the Jamaica Observer at the crash scene.

Marcia and some of Mowen’s other passengers and fellow taxi drivers wept openly as they looked at his body lying beside the mangled wreck of his cab.

Mowen, 37, was travelling from Chapleton to May Pen when the crash occurred just before 4:00 pm.

A Toyota Coaster bus belonging to Clarendon College and a Lexus minibus were the other vehicles involved in the road mishap. The drivers of both buses were taken to hospital with injuries. However, their condition was not ascertained up to press time.

Marcia told the Observer that she had rushed from the market in Chapleton to the crash scene after she received news that Mowen was a victim.

“Mi a cry because the driver weh carry mi morning and evening dead!” she wailed.

Describing Mowen as dependable, Marcia said: “Him will find a car just fi come fi mi anyweh mi deh. It’s just like I lose a child I gave birth to. I am so upset right now. Mi can give him any amount a money to spend and him buy mi load carry come gi mi.”