July 15, 2006 – A 31-year-old man was killed in a one-car accident on Melvin Evans Highway early Friday morning, becoming the third vehicle fatality on the island in less than a week.
Police spokeswoman Shawna Richards identified the victim as Keithroy Southwell of Estate Mount Washington.
Southwell was driving a blue 1997 Ford Explorer when he apparently lost control of the vehicle, Richard said.
"The driver veered off the road onto the grass median and flipped over several times," Richards said.
The accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. Friday, and Richards said that Southwell, who had been traveling east on the highway in the vicinity of William's Delight, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Police have not determined the cause of the accident and have not ruled out speed as a factor," Richards said.
Friday's accident comes just four days after two teenagers were killed and two others seriously injured, also in a one-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon in the Mon Bijou area.
The two killed were 19-year-old Delroy Prescott of Mon Bijou, who was the driver of the vehicle and a well-known drummer in the popular Stroka Band, and passenger Raheem Anderson, 18, of Mary's Fancy.
Avery Toby, 18, of Estate Strawberry and Carlos Nieves, 17, of Estate Profit, were passengers in the rear of the vehicle, a 2006 Chevy Cobalt.
Richards did not immediately know the status of Toby, who had to be airlifted to Puerto Rico hours after the accident after he sustained severe trauma to the head. Nieves, who underwent surgery at Luis Hospital a day following the accident, has been released.
The car Prescott was driving veered off the road and collided with a chain-link fence and several metal posts before coming to rest against a wall at No. 457 Frangipani.
The investigation into both accidents continues, Richards said.
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
