SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — The Blackwood family from Whitehouse in this parish has been left reeling from a string of deaths over the past few months. Four of them have died since March 11. The latest tragedy was Sunday night’s traffic crash that claimed the life of 25-year-old Michael Blackwood Jr.

His aunt, Denise Blackwood, said the family is overwhelmed.

“It has been really rough, if we were to believe in other things we would be wondering what the hell is going on,” she told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

Denise said her 83-year-old mother, Germalyn Blackwood, died on March 11 followed by her 53-year-old brother, Jamaica Union of Travellers Association bus operator Michael Blackwood, Sr, four days later. Then her 60-year-old brother-in-law, fisherman Neville Powell, died after a brief illness on May 14 and now Michael Jr on June 12.

While her mother’s death was expected, as she was ailing for some time, Denise said her brother’s death came as a huge blow. She is convinced he “died of a broken heart”.

“He… died of a major heart attack. He always said, enuh, if she pass he doesn’t think he could live it out and him really followed her,” she said.

Germalyn and Michael Sr were both born in September and died in March.

On April 27, the mother and son were laid to rest in a shared grave separated by a wall carved with a heart.

Powell will be buried on Friday, June 17. Funeral arrangements will soon have to be made for Michael Jr.

With the deaths coming in rapid succession, Denise said the family has barely had time to process each one. All they can do is cling to each other for support.

“As days go by, we have to accept the fact that it’s a road for all of us,” she said.

But Leandrew Blackwood is finding it hard to accept Sunday night’s death of his brother. Michael Jr died on the Bluefields main road in Westmoreland from injuries he sustained in a single vehicle crash.

Leandrew was on his way to the mechanic when he heard there was an crash on the road.

“As mi reach close to the accident, mi see mi phone a ring; mi answer. One a mi fren seh to mi seh if mi hear wah happen, mi seh no! Him seh yuh bredda dead,” he recalled.

“Mi stop the bus inna the middle a di road and come out. Di way how mi feel, mi never realise weh mi did deh,” he said.

He said he walked to the scene of the crash and stole a glance at his brother’s body, telling himself maybe he was merely unconscious. He was wrong.

According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Unit, about 6:20 pm the driver of a Toyota Corolla motor car was travelling along the Bluefields main road when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a utility pole. Michael Jr was a passenger in the car.

They both sustained injuries and were transported to hospital where Michael Jr was pronounced dead. The driver was admitted in serious condition.

Michael Jr was due to leave the island in a few days. Each year at this time he works as a laundry attendant in the United States.