Mini bus driver critical

| 23/12/2009

(CNS): Updated Thursday noon: Police are still appealing for witnesses to the West Bay Road crash that occurred on Wednesday morning at around  6.50 am (Wednesday 23 December 2009).  The driver of a 12 seat minibus was driving close to the Comfort Suites when the vehicle collided with what has been described as a cherry-picker type truck. The 65 year old driver of the minibus sustained serious head and facial injuries. He remains in a critical condition and police said the man was unable to be airlifted to Miami on Wednesday but medical officials hope to transfer him today, (24 Dec)  for further treatment. (Photo by News 27)

The driver of the cherry picker (51) – who had been within the bucket section of the vehicle at the time of impact – sustained slight injuries as well as a female passenger in the minibus. (Photo by News 27)

Both men have been conveyed to George Town Hospital where they are currently being treated.
Police enquiries are ongoing and Inspector Adrian Barnett of the RCIPS Traffic department is appealing for any witnesses to the accident to contact him on 946-6254. Following the collision West Bay Road was closed for just over three hours to allow accident investigations and the removal of the vehicles to take place. The road is now reopened to traffic.


 

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  1. Anonymous says:
    24/12/2009 at 10:15 pm

    I regularly drive along West Bay Road and the most dangerous driving occurs just before 7am – usually with people obviously rushing to work.  Tne worst offenders are the mini-bus driverswho appear to be rushing to the docking boats.  It is a disgrace how selfish some of these drivers can be.  I have often said that there would be a very serious accident on that road at that time of day.

  2. joe bananas says:
    24/12/2009 at 4:51 pm

    Here is my story:  I was going east in south sound doing about 35 with someone in a big truck right on my bumper as usual.  Came around a blind curve and there is a large bucket truck backing up with a man in the basket about 30 feet in front of me!  I slamed on the brakes and the idiotin back of me thought that was the time to pass me being we were going around a blind courner and just missed me and the truck that was backing up around the blind courner.  Of course the guy in the bucket yelled at me for allmost hitting himand killing myself and my best friend next to me.  The guy tailgateing me just passed me and the truck and almost collided with some poor tourist who I’m sure was still wondering which side of the road he really should be on.  Cars and trucks don’t kill people…People who haven’t a clue but have a drivers license kill people.  Cayman is a true banana republic.

    • Anonymous says:
      24/12/2009 at 10:17 pm

      the worst drivers on the island are bus and taxi drivers!!!!!!

      i had a big bus (empty) going north overtake me in the middle lane doing around 50 mph while i was trying to let a tourist walk across the road in front of the westin hotel yesterday, morons…………..

      • Anonymous says:
        26/12/2009 at 3:35 am

        I saw one cross over onto the oncoming lane to overtake one evening two weeks ago because someone was turning on the middle lane. 

      • Anon says:
        26/12/2009 at 2:32 pm

        Are you sure this wasn’t a tour bus? 

  3. Constructive Suggestion says:
    23/12/2009 at 3:34 pm

     

    First of all, my prayers go out to those who were injured in this accident and thanks to all the emergency personnel who responded to the accident victims (as well as those in other emergency situations).  You are heroes.
     
    Now some constructive suggestions: I would like to urge those concerned with managing these situations to work more efficiently to have the roadways cleared in a timely manner.  I witnessed the aftermath of the Tuesday afternoon accident on West Bay Road and, in my humble opinion, the north bound lane could have been opened a lot sooner than it was, thereby allowing ‘after work’ traffic from George Town to flow smoothly northwards to West Bay. After all, there are only two arterial roads heading north and south. 
     
    As a result of this road closure just a fraction south of the West Bay Road junction and the Camana Bay "cut through", south bound traffic (traffic heading to town) was being diverted east on the "cut through".  THIS WAS A MAJOR ERROR. A traffic cop was then compounding the problem by stopping traffic on the Camana Bay BYPASS in BOTH directions to let those drivers out.  The domino effect of this short-sighted traffic cop’s actions was that he compounded the gridlock on the BYPASS all the way back to the CNB BYPASS and into the heart of George Town. If they had simply instructed the traffic just to the north of the accident that was heading south on West Bay Road to do a U TURN on the three available lanes ofWest Bay Road and return them to the Galleria roundabout(s) and, if the personnel managing the situation had quickly posted DIVERSION signs in the appropriate spots and allowed the BYPASS to have the PRIORITY that it is supposed to have, then maybe a lot of tired people could have gotten home on time for DINNER and not just a midnight snack! 
     
    As they say on ESPN: “COME ON MAN!!!!!!”. Let’s get it right next time, please. Look at the BIG picture.
  4. Deja vu says:
    23/12/2009 at 3:29 pm

    I am reading this with visions of an accident I saw which was waiting to happen.  About a month ago on the bypass near Red Bay I was following a mobile crane.  Twenty feet out from the back, I witnessed the ball and hook swinging around uncontrolled.  In making the roundabout, the apparatus swung out into the other lane. I drove up in front of the truck and stopped, and flagged them over. Went running back to warn them they had a lethal weapon hanging off the back of the vehicle. I told them to tie it up with a piece of chain before they took out someone’s car. Both looked at me. I got back in my truck. Only to see them pull back out into traffic. I was trying to be courteous and warn them. I could not help but shudder of what that thing could do to another vehicle or someone at the side of the road. But the following week I had to stop as a large trailer with backhoe became unhooked from the back of another truck on a busy road. Go figure. Be careful. There are people out there who have no clue.

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