Tourist hit by car sustains serious head injuries
(CNS): Updated Monday 8am – The man who was seriously injured after he was hit by a car as he crossed the West Bay Road close to the Lone Star Restaurant last night was a visitor to Cayman, the police have confirmed. According to the Canadian media, the 66-year-old man was on vacation here with friends and family from Canada and he is now being treated in Miami for extensive injuries, including serious head trauma and multiple broken bones. The driver of the car was arrested on suspicion of DUI and has since been released on bail, a police spokesperson stated Saturday. The RCIPS is now investigating the traffic incident, which happened around 10:30pm on Friday when the pedestrian was struck by a white Toyota Cavalier driven by a woman.
According to reports from the scene, the car was damaged as a result of the collision as it was traveling towards West Bay.
The man, who has been named as Dan Marce from Regina in Saskatchewan, was taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital in the first instance but he has now been taken to Miami, where according to reports, he is being treated for not only a broken skull and jaw but several other serious injuries to the rest of his body.
Category: Local News
Rest in Peace Dan you will never be forgotten! You have touched alot of people! My thoughs and prayers are with you and your family!
I am a friend and co worker of the gentelman that was seriouly injuried! Who cares where they were or what type of vehicle hit him! My thoughs and prayers are with him and his family! Everyone needs to drive with more caution! It seems bad enough when people are sober and they can't drive, you mix alcohol into the equation and it makes things 100 times worse! Dan we love you and are praying for you!! Please get better and cone home!
If you were a member of the victim's family reading these comments about what type of car was involved in the accident you would realize that there is something seriously wrong with some of the people writing comments here.
Who gives a damn what type of vehicle struct this man? It doesn't matter, this man and his entire family's lives have been torn apart by this horrible waste.
The driver's life is forever changed as well and you want to googe types of Toyota.
To the the friends and family I apologize for the thoughtless unfeeling comments posted here. These types of accidents are horrible and happen all to often here.
I had the opportunity to meet the man while he was here on vacation with a group of people. The group was actually at Havana Club that night and I was told from one member of the group that he left early as he was tired and wanted to retire for the night. This is such an incredibly horrible story for both parties. Makes me want to tell everyone I know and love to always think smart and be careful.
DOT: Please educate vsitiors about driving in Cayman. This week I have had 4 near misses, with visitorsin rental cars pulling out into traffic on the wrong side of the road. There needs to be more directional arrows painted on the roads, and businessess need to have signs at each exit, reminding drivers which way to turn.
Pedestrians, sure they have right of way….I had a group of piss drunk tourists walk straight out in front of my car on SMB road, only one guy in the group looked for approaching traffic, and he was looking the wrong flipping way! I managed to stop safely, but I got some dirty looks form that crowd.
While you make a point, All drivers in Cayman should expect these kind if actions/ behavior from tourists. Actually watch out for it. This is just how things are in tourists destinations, be it Miami or Hawaii or Cayman Islands. Add to this a confusion about on which side of road to drive. When I started driving here, at leas 3 times I tried to get to the wrong side of the road. And once I thought one roundabout was just a flowerbed in the middle of the road, so I did not go around it as I shoud- thanks god there were ojust one car heading toward me. I am grateful that he did not honk at me,paralising me even more, but just allowed me turn around.
i think they should put in more crosswalks for the safety of everyone using that road.i also think that the speed limit should be dropped down to 25 as it is a major pedestrian area. e.g george town would it be wise to have george town at 40 mph? 40 mph is much too fast to be travelling at night down that street at night condidering the lighting and the amout of people using the street. please just get some crosswalks in.. afterall there cannot be a price for a life that has been lost… we have lost far too many already.
Under Traffic Law it was supposed to be reduced to 25…signs still read 40.
Obviously this is really bad for everyone, but with all the talk of having crossings etc is a nice idea, and one i think should help, this accident occured pretty much under the beach suites overpass, hence there was a safe way to cross the road which was ignored.
The problem I see is that people on this Island drive like crap day in and day out with absolutely no consequences to them breaking the laws on a daily basis! They speed, their children are standing up in the front seat, they use the turning lane as their own personal race track ………..and the list goes on and on.
I am just absolutely beyone baffled that the police can not get the traffic law ignorance under control. Instead of running campaing this and campaing that, enforce the freaking law all day every day!
Why would the government pay the medical costs?
When will we see the speed limit on WBR dropped to a sensible speed for a tourism area, perhaps with bumps for traffic calming? Has anyone noticed how much slower the traffic has moved whilst Logic is having the road worked on? Put in planters, crossings, whatever to stop people using the middle lane as an overtaking lane before another tourist dies. How much damage has this incident done to the reputation of Cayman internationally? I am not forgetting the family involved of course and hope that our guest recovers.
As sad as this is, the drunk driving and looking the wrong way are not resolved by attempts to slow down future collisions. Shouldn’t we strive to eliminate collisions at any speed?
07.20 Spot on… can you tell me why all the numbskulls further down here are going on about the make of the car rather than hoping and praying that this Gentleman gets better quick, XXXX?
An arguement over make of car is crass in the circumstances…go figure, huh?
Hey I LOVE the new lit up crossing strips and yeild sign in front of the Strand!!! Come on Govt., order a dozen more and SAVE LIVES!
Our tourists need to be safe, period.
Why such a crossing ? Who understands it? Should drivers stop when the lights in the road flash? Why not a simple red light that is internationally understood!
This is terrible this poor poor man; I feel so badly for him and his family. I wish him as speedy a recovery as possible.
Speeding and driving recklessly on the island is totally out of control. I have lost count of the times I have seen reckless awful driving on West Bay Road in front of all of these bars and restaurants.
Cayman is suffering enough – without these fools creating even more tragic accidents – it is imerative that something is done to make the road safe – but a total waste of time saying this….no-one has done anything useful re the roads.
To those debating the description on the make of the car below – SHAME ON YOU.
I visited Grand Cayman in Jan 2013, and while overall a very tourist-friendly island – crossing West Bay road was a chanllenge everywhere, but sometimes you have no choice but to do it. Lack of traffic lights on such a busy road is surprising.
let's keep people drinking and driving, let's keep educating that binge drinking is cool, let's keep abusing of laws and values…
good luck…
Let's send a message that drunk driving is OK by having ministers keep their posts after a conviction . . . .
The call is again made for the installation of at least 15 light controlled cross walks on the West Bay Road.
How many more tourists have to be killed before our blind, stubborn, ignorant Ministers of Tourism, Department of Tourism, Members of the Legislative Assembly, heads of the NRA, Cayman Islands Tourism Association, Chamber of Commerce and Royal Cayman Islands Police do what has been needed for decades?
And we say that we want tourism?
Our leaders need to STOP SITTING ON THEIR BRAINS!
Do not talk nonsense about the cost to erect the crosswalks OR the slowing of traffic flow!
What about the costs resulting from the accident, regardless of whether the accident was caused by the victim or driver?
Medical costs of the victim paid by our Government another CI$1 Million.
Cayman Islands government financial assistance to the victim’s family, an unknown amount.
XXXX
Those are just some of the direct costs that would not occur if we had sufficient crosswalks on the West Bay Road and everywhere they are needed.
Crosswalks on the West Bay rd ! Great Idea ~! reduce the speed the limit to 30 MPH with the Crosswalk's makes even more sense.
the whole issue has summend up the pure incompetence of this administration…..4 years and can't even mange to complete a pedestrian crossing…….
caymankind
The NRA has run out of money. They turn down contributors who offer to pay for crosswalks.
Why why why have these major problems with West Bay Road not been fixed yet!
One reasons: The apparent idiocracy which exists here has been fooled by Jackie Doak & Co. that the solution to the West Bay Road problem is to close off one tiny stretch of it!
I'd like to refer readers back to this letter by Ray Farrington on the West Bay Road problem with the most obviously sensible solution!
I'm 99.99% sure there is no such car as a "Toyota Cavalier".
Chevrolet makes a Cavalier. Toyota cars that have names with a C are: Camry, Corolla that I can think of.
You're 100% wrong:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Cavalier#Toyota_Cavalier
Actually poster, on this occasion that 0.01% of uncertainty is proving you incorrect.
There is in fact such a car as a "Toyota Cavalier".
The explanation as to why is rather complicated, and most readers would find it confusing or boring, nevertheless it does exist.
That’s what concerned you regarding this incident?
WRONG.
The 'TOYOTA Cavalier' is a CHEVROLET Cavalier, re-badged for the JDM market.
Use the Internet much? We are not in North America
Toyota Cavalier sedan (Japan)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Cavalier#Toyota_Cavalier
Actually you are wrong. There is a car called a Toyota Cavalier and it looks exactly the same as a Chevy Cavalier.
The Cavalier is actually branded as a Toyota in many countries… eg Japan, New Zealand, Australia. It was a joint venture effort between Toyota and Chevy. Just saying.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Cavalier
Quote from above link: "As part of a wider effort to avoid additional restrictions on exports to the US, the third generation model was briefly sold in Japan by Toyota under an agreement with GM, badged as the Toyota Cavalier as in return for the Geo/Chevrolet Prizm".
Irrelevant though, truly the best of wishes to the injured person.
No it is correct. the toyota cavalier is the same as the chevy cavalier.
Do a simple internet search. These were sold in Asia under the Toyota brand. They had the Z22 package as standard. A number of these cars have been imported to the island as they are the same as the Chevy except right hand drive. Really is this all you can think of to write on a serious situation with West Bay Road?
Does it really matter ? Hope the man recovers fast
Come on everyone, the answer to this problem is obvious. Just ask Mr Miller. Stop death on our roads by banning all car advertising and any mention of the make of a car in all news reporting.
Hey jack-wad, mr miller was talking about booze ads. Booze as I’m drunk drivers. Get it?