MANDEVILLE, Manchester — People who knew nine-year-old Amoya Moore said she was a polite and brilliant child.

That she perished Tuesday morning on her way to school in what can only be described as a cruel twist of fate has left her family, neighbours, and school community devastated.

Shortly after walking by a garbage truck, metres away from her house, and telling the crew “Good morning”, the grade four Villa Road Primary School student was struck by the truck.

The tragedy unfolded about 7:00 am on Bonitto Heights off Bonitto Crescent in Mandeville.

A neighbour shared what he saw after hearing the child scream.

“It is not a good sight. I was washing my car when the rubbish truck came, picked up garbage at my gate, and went up into Bonitto Heights. On the way down that is when tragedy struck,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“I heard the scream, then I saw one of the sidemen running up the road holding his head. When I ran out the first thing I saw was her [Amoya]…on the ground,” the man said, adding that he played a role in the police apprehending the truck driver.

The truck was removed from the scene and inspected at the Mandeville examination depo. Up to midafternoon on Tuesday police were reportedly questioning the driver and collecting statements. The Manchester Traffic Department and Area Three Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Unit are probing the incident.

“It is just heart-rending. I wouldn’t like to be in the parents’ shoes at this moment, because nothing cannot bring back the child, and this pain is going to be a lifelong thing,” added the neighbour.

“She is a polite girl. She doesn’t walk past you and doesn’t say good morning… Is her daily routine. She was on the banking when that happened,” he said.

“I am not taking it well. I stopped smoking for a year now and I have to start smoking again. That is how terrible the effect is on me… It is just what I saw, it is just messed up. Nobody deserves to die like that,” the man lamented.

Villa Road Primary School Principal Brent James said Amoya was like a daughter to him.

“We are distraught and still in shock. Amoya is really a dear child to me personally… We are still processing this; it is difficult for all… As a school family we are happy for the support we are already receiving from colleagues, the Ministry of Education, and the community, it is difficult news to absorb. She was very respectful and helpful. It is a great loss to us,” he said.

“She literally fights to come and hug me each day. A disciplined child, very neat, a child that had such great prospects, and for her life to just be taken away just like that is tragic,” added James while pointing out that grief counselling was conducted on Tuesday at the school.

Principals from at least three schools, representatives from the Ministry of Education’s region five, and guidance counsellors offered psychosocial support to the school’s students and staff following the accident.

At Bonitto Heights, near the scene of the tragedy, the mood among Amoya’s neighbours was sombre.

“We know that she is very polite, because if she is coming up in the lane she would say ‘Good morning’…and we also learn that she is a very brilliant girl at school. The principal for the school is here, and some of her teachers, to share their insights about Amoya,” said Dean Williamson, one of the neighbours.

“It is a tragic situation and very devastating to the community. All of us are parents. I am a father of two daughters so I can identify with the father as to how he feels. I can just imagine,” he added.

In separate statements the National Solid Waste Management Authority, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, and state minister in the Ministry of Education Rhoda Moy Crawford expressed condolence and sympathies to Amoya’s family and school.

Crawford, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manchester Central, expressed shock and sorrow at the child’s death.

“My heart is torn apart for more reasons than one. An innocent youngster on her way to school [died], my constituent, and more over it really hits close to home, because I am a past student of Villa Road Primary School,” she said.

“It is heartbreaking. I have spoken to the school’s principal… I will be making a visit to the school as well as to visit the family at their home in Bonitto [Heights],” added Crawford while imploring road users to be cautious.

The garbage truck involved in Tuesday’s fatal crash is seen at the Mandeville examination depot for inspection. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

“We are distraught and still in shock,” says Villa Road Primary School Principal Brent James.

A policeman and an educator consoling Amoya Moore’s father on Tuesday. (Photos: Kasey Williams)

Amoya Moore’s mother (in purple top) being consoled on Tuesday.