Police arrest hit & run driver

| 13/11/2010

(CNS): Updated Monday 10:30am – Police have arrested a 28 year old man in connection with a hit and run in which 52-year-old Winston Welsh was killed in George Town, late Friday night. The suspected driver was arrested in George Town early Sunday morning, a police spokesperson said, on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. The car suspected of being involved in the incident has also been recovered by the RCIPS and is undergoing forensic examination and the man remains in custody while enquiries continue, the police said. The 52 year old victim was mowed down by an on coming car as he attempted to cross Crewe Road near to the Mango Tree Restaurant after parking his own van on the airport side of the road. (Photo Dennie WarrenJr)

The victim received serious head injuries in the incident and was taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital, George Town, where he later died.

The car failed to stop after hitting the victim but witnesses on the scene immediately following the incident said that they saw a small white car making off towards the roundabout, heading in the direction of the airport. Officers involved in the hunt for the hit and run driver appealed to the public for help to find the car and offered their thanks to those who had assisted following the arrest.

If anyone has any information about the incident and has not yet contacted the police, they are being asked to call Inspector Adrian Barnett at the RCIPS Traffic Department on 946-6254 or Crime Stoppers 800 –8477 (TIPS).

 

 

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  1. anonymous says:

    My condolences go out to the family of Mr. Welsh.  May his soul rest in Peace.

  2. Anonymous says:

    It breaks my heart each time i read a post and Jamaica is used as  a reference in a negatie way. Can’t we keep to the facts, the incident hapened in Cayman, full stop. Also it amazes me how people who have never been to Jamaica can make such bold statements about the place.To enlighten you, there have been instaces when persons have been hit by a car & the driver stops to assist. Indeed several instnace.

  3. Anonymous says:

    It is indeed a relief to our collective human conscience and surely to the victim’s family that the driver and car have been discovered. Kudos to the Police and certainly to whomever may have assisted them. 

    Notwithstanding the circumstances of this accident which will hopefully come forth during the investigation, this area is appallingly dark. Factor this with the amount of traffic – vehicular & pedestrian – generated by Mango Tree weekend activity, this was an accident waiting to happen. Why are our relevant agencies always reactive?  There are street lights just down the road by NAPA but none on the eastern side of the round-about where a bust stop exists!

    Hopefully now street lights will be placed in this area.

    RIP innocent victim. 

     

  4. CAYMANIAN 4 LIFE says:

    I got a blackberry message (bbm) while in kingston Jamaica on vacation, it said it was appealing for people to be on the look out for a damaged vehicle being  drivenor parked , that some one was just  got ran down by a passing car in the areas of Mango tree restauarant.

    In a flash I did, and peolple in my friends list did too, Imaginge how useful this gadget is, pictures ,videos can be sent in a instant .

    The RCIPS needs to equip their officers with blackberrys,

     RCIPS gets a  BBM PIN # and then info is forwarded to the officers and vice versa.

    I would love to hear the feed back on this bad or good..

      

    • Anonymous says:

       Wow, what a genius idea.  I bet you’re the first to think of this one!

      • Anonymous says:

        wow! that’s rude!!! wonder where you got your manners from! there is nothing wrong with people putting in thier two cents! are you that "unhappy" that you have to come on here to make feel people bad about themselves as its so obvious you do about yoruself?? seriously?

  5. Anonymous says:

    What a stupid statement.  Cayman is not Kingston…yet!  If it’s the guy, throw the book at him and use him as an example.  Young punks should not be allowed to get away with anything anymore or our society will fall deeper in the hole.  If we don’t get a grip and tighten up on punishment, we will end up like Kingston!  A politician who is willing to take this matter on will get my vote in the next elections any day.

    • Anonymous says:

       It’s so sad how we jump to conclusions, we don’t know that the man crossing the street wasn’t drunk. Also, why do you just jump to the conclusion that it is the youth or ‘young punks’ as you say that is causing all the trouble. Though there is an increasing number of youth who are getting into trouble, sometimes we have to stop a minute and look at those who are doing good and source of the trouble. Children learn from what they see but I know we have all observed the famous ‘do as I say not as I do’ parents are also to blame because they ignore they children or don’t congratulate them for a job well done. There needs to be an ultimatum reached. Parents, reward you children for a job well done and don’t just scold them for the bad.

  6. peter milburn says:

    Good work by the RCIPS.Keep it up guys.

  7. Libertarian says:

    My condolences to this man’s family.

    This morning, I asked someone if he was driving his car in downtown Jamaica, and accidentally injured a man with his car, would it be wise to stop and see what happens next?

    The man replied, "Sorry, I will keep on driving…"

    So I thought…

    Isn’t it interesting how some people can condemn the driver of this incident without knowing for themselves what it is like to find themselves in the same situation?  Wouldn’t you stop if you hit someone along the road with your car in Kingston, Jamaica?

     

    • au revoir says:

      are you stupid or just dumb?  if for some reason or another you cannot stop, the least you do is call for an ambulance first, the police second, and state:  at such and such an intersection i hit someone – the person appears to be hurt but i’m afraid that if i stop i’m going to get killed.  my name is X and i live at Y and i can be contacted at Z.  did this person do any of the above?  NO.  also, did this accident take place in Kingston, Jamaica?  uhmm, again, NO. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Are you making the argument that Cayman has the same level of lawlessness as Kingston Jamaica?

    • Anonymous says:

      This is Cayman, not Jamaica???

    • Anonymous says:

        Why make mention of Jamaica?

    • Anonymous says:

      Cayman is NOT Kingston Jamaica! What an absurd defense of a hit and run driver that left an innocent man dead. There is no excuse for a hit and run driver wherever he or she might be!

    • Pit Bull says:

      In some circumstances your point could have validity but not in this case.  Cayman has elements of a third world mentality and the fear of immediate physical harm could justify driving off in circumstances where there were others around to tend for the victim.

      However, that does not excuse the failure by a driver to turn himself in afterwards. 

  8. Anonymous says:

    It would be inappropriate for me to comment on the circumstances of this particular  accident, as I wasn’t there; none of us were.

    But now is the time we should  remember those close shaves we have all had with a cyclist or a pedestrian at night, dressed in dark clothing, and on the wrong side of the road. Sometimes  a tourist will look in the wrong direction as they cross the road or as they drive their car into traffic.

    In addition,  many drivers refuse to dip their headlights, dazzling  oncoming traffic, and making such situations doubly dangerous. With some drivers ceaselessly chatting on their cells, it’s a miracle more people arn’t  hit by passing cars.

    I have had three near misses over the years, each involving bicycles, and it shook me up badly each time. Every case  was 100% the fault of the cyclist. But yes, of course I would have stopped.

    My sincerest condolences to the family.

  9. au revoir says:

    first of all, my condolences to the family of the poor victim.  he did not deserve to be left in the middle of the road to die like a dog.  XXXX

    second of all, how is it that the police were able to apprehend this person so quickly, yet in the case of the man who recently died in the hospital after being there for a few months as a result of a hit and run, the police are still clueless as to who the guilty party is?  is it a case of them being far less interested in finding the other person?  will that investigation slowly be shoved to the dusty bin of unsolved crimes?

  10. Sarah says:

    I am so sad for the family of the victim but delighted that the police have found their man – launching a quick appeal surely is what made the difference this time.  I don’t think they have found the guy who hit the poor soul on Eastern Avenue – when the appeals were delayed.  Reaching out to us when our memories are fresh is definitely the way to go….now justice can be served.

  11. Anonymous says:

    I hope you will realize to do the humane action and turn yourself in. My condolences to the family.God Bless

  12. Anonymous says:

    This is terrible news. My sincere condolences to the family of this poor man. I hope the person who did this will come forward and turn themselves in. This is a human being. Someone’s family member that you have taken away from them forever! Someone who didn’t get to go back home to his family. Please turn yourself in. Don’t add more pain and insult to the grieving family by running away from what you have done. You might think your life is over, but guess what! That poor man’s life IS over! So do the right thing and be an adult and take responsibility for your actions. At least your family gets to still see your face! This poor man’s family will never get that chance again. This is absolutely heartbreaking! Driver, please do the right thing. You owe this man’s family that!!

  13. Anonymous says:

    I’m so sorry to hear about this.  He did a good job in repairing appliances and he was one of the very few around here who did not over charge  for his services.  May God be with his family during this very difficult time.

    RCIPS, please do not rest until you find his killer!

  14. Anonymous says:

    According to the Caymanian Compass’ online edition, "Police officers later positively identified the vehicle involved as a white Toyota Starlet, between 1996 and 2000 model years." It won’t be long now before they will have scanned their vehicle database and come up with a short list of possible vehicles. A personal visit to each owner should then identify the guilty party. It’s going to be a lot worse for the person involved if the cops find them before they turn themselves in. Just do the right thing before it’s too late – it’s inevitable that you will be found.

  15. Anonymous says:

    I hope his friends and family do the right thing and turn him in.. condolences to the family and friends of the man who has lost his life so tragically.

    someone knows who did it – please report it.. what if was your family member that was a victim of a hit & run…

  16. Anonymous says:

    To unknown driver: in the panic of the moment your reaction was to run away. There may have been circumstances which caused you to take that action. Likewise, there may be circumstances which can bear out your explanation of the accident in the first place. One person cannot speak for himself now, so try to find that part of yourself to do the right thing. Report yourself to the police before more time passes. That man was someone’s child or father. What if someone did this to your child or parent, what would you want? 

    Someone knows who did this, have enough courage and human feelings to convince them to turn themselves in.  

  17. A Concerned Young Caymanian Father says:

    Just a thought:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OYyHO1HoUk

     

    For all you BBM’ers out there.

  18. Joseph (Lebbie) Yates says:

    How can we now fully enjoy Pirates Week when on the very first night someone was killed by a hit and run driver this is a very bad start for what suppose to be a week of fun is now a lifetime of sadness for the victim’s family.

    Turn yourself in you will never be at peace with your mind if you don’t this will forever haunt you, think about this happening to one of your family members or even your own son/daughter.

  19. Anonymous says:

    I saw the road around the end of the airport roadway closed off this morning an knew something awful had happened.

    Let’s let the specialists look at whatever evidence there may be and help reconstruct what happened. How fast was the car going? What was the lighting like? How easily might the victim have been seen given his clothing? Any skid marks? Was the car on the correct side of the road? Did witnesses see the car’s headlights?

    I would not presume that the driver was operating recklessly prior to striking the pedestrian. It could have been a tragic accident but it becomes more difficult to believe the anything driver might say later  if he/she doesn’t stop and attempt to assist in some way. There simply is not an excuse to stop.

     

  20. Anonymous says:

     Maybe this will convince the public to be more supportive of having cameras to bring these things to an end. If they were in place, the person would have been caught within a few hours.

  21. michel lemay says:

    So sorry to hear that. Someone father maybe,a good friend most likely and worse someone child. R.I.P. our unknown friend. Let’s pray for the culprit to have the worst remorse or someone if you know who it is turn him in. Let God and the law deal with him. As for me I’m turning my computer off for the weekend. We need to pray real seriously here; life has become that of an animal or worse. Just like Miami news. Discusting

  22. A Concerned Young Caymanian Father says:

    My condolences to the family of the deceased. I sincerely hope that whoever it was that did it is found and is dealt with appropriately. Have the balls/decency to turn yourself in, at least!

  23. #1 Anonymous says:

    This is such a shame. When someone is not being shot; innocent people are being struck by cars. *Shaking my Head* Sh** happens but at least of the heart to stop. An innocent man lost his life due to your reckless driving. How do you sleep knowing what you’ve caused? What has happen to all the good people around here who would own up to the mistakes they’ve made and pay the consequence? Do you not know that when you do something like this you’ve caused not only the victim to suffer but his family members too? I’m sure anyone would understand you were scared. This can happen to anyone and you don’t have to of meant to do this, well I’d hope you didn’t but you have done wrong. Do the right thing and turn yourself in. You’ve caused enough pain.

    My condolences goes out to the families of this man.

    God bless you all!

  24. Anonymous says:

     Whomever hit the man, I know they are probably scared and quite shaken by the accident but I hope they the right thing and turn themselves in. Their conscience will bother them even more if they don’t. 

    Maybe they were drunk and know what the consequence would be and that is why they didn’t stop but I hope they don’t think for one minute that they will be home free if they don’t turn themselves in. A conscience is a hell of a thing. They will have nightmares about it, they will see  that poor man in their dreams regularly.

    If they take too long to turn themselves in and the cops have to hunt them down it is going to be worse for them because it will then appear as though they had no remorse and simply didn’t care about the person, just themselves.

    I am pleading with the person, please just turn yourself in.  How would you feel if someone had done this to your father, your brother or your son? 

    You can run from humans but God is watching and seeing everything. 

  25. tam says:

    My condolences to the family represented.

    I think drivers hit-and-run because they know the consequences that comes with manslaughter. It is weak human nature to run away from responsibility when you know your going to be penalized for it. However, rest assure, it will be a haunting experience on one’s conscience that you were responsible for someone’s death 

  26. Anonymous says:

    Damage to the car will result in this person being brought tojustice.

    These stories are disheartening.

    • Anonymous says:

      I actually saw a white car with a hole in the middle of it’s smashed windscreen being taken on the bypass towards the airport by a flatbed tow truck at about 1:30 today, maybe it’s the one

    • Anonymous says:

      Our memories are short. It depends who the driver is.