SCORES?OF?RELATIVES and friends converged just beyond the four cross roads on Windsor Road, St George, to get word on their own, victims of a three vehicle smash-up around 6:30 p.m. yesterday.
The event, described as a mass casualty, attracted personnel from the emergency ambulance service, the Barbados Defence Force, Roving Response Team, the Barbados Fire Service, The Transport Board, the Royal Barbados Police Force and Ministry of Health officials.
One distraught mother, on arriving at the scene, threw herself to the ground appealing to the police to let her see her daughter, a request that was eventually granted.
The accident involved three vehicles: a mini-bus, an open-back van and a sports utility vehicle. There were a total of 30 injured. of those transported
to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), one was critically injured, four had severe injuries but are in stable condition, ten had minor injuries. The remaining 15 people were treated and discharged at the scene.
David West, 75 years of age, of Searles Plantation, Christ Church, and his 74-year-old wife Ann Marie were travelling in one vehicle; 61-year-old George Smith of Ruby, St Philip, was the driver of another, while 41-year-old Ricardo Browne, of Cutting Road, Haggatt Hall, St Michael, was the driver of the minibus.
Injuries consisted mostly of abdominal and chest trauma as well as lacerations.
There was also another mass casualty, at Lemon Arbor, St John, involving a Transport Board bus and a car which resulted in a fatality.
Louise Bobb, chief executive officer (acting) and head of the Incident Command at the QEH said that the institution’s pre-hospital and emergency medical systems were able to respond successfully to these simultaneous mass casualty events.
She reiterated the call by Dr Dexter James, chief executive officer of the QEH for motorists and the travelling public to exercise due care and attention. James’ comments came after the last month’s mass casualty at Gibbes, St Peter. Police public relations officer Inspector David Welch said police officers were able to effectively and efficently handle both mass casualities which occurred in the space of less than an hour.
(JS/PR)
