A young man was killed early yesterday morning when he lost control of the motorbike he was riding and slammed into a utility pole on Shirley Street near Lovers Lane, according to police. The 23-year-old was traveling west around 4 a.m., when the accident occurred, according to Superintendent Ken Strachan, officer in charge of the Road Traffic Division. According to Strachan, Emergency Medical Services personnel pronounced the victim dead on the scene. As police documented the accident, the deceased was lying around 15 feet away from the 650cc motorbike he was riding. Strachan said the man was not wearing a helmet and claimed that speed was a factor in the accident.
The young man, a resident of Big Pond Subdivision, became the 36th person to die in a traffic accident in the country this year, Strachan said. In 2011, there were 44 traffic fatalities recorded in The Bahamas. This is also the fourth life to be claimed on the streets in less than three days. "We are continuing to advise motorists travelling out there to exercise good sense and good judgment as they travel on the streets," Strachan said at the scene. "Further, we are encouraging motorists to wear the appropriate riding gear, particularly a helmet and be more cautious as you travel along our streets. "Again we encourage you to stay focused.
Pedestrians, look out and wear appropriate clothing at night time and ensure you also pay attention." He added, "This weekend was especially marred by the incident on Abaco where three persons tragically lost their lives on the streets of the Abaco district." On Saturday night, Caninesha Rolle, 22 and Shanique McIntosh, 21, who were second cousins, along with another male passenger were killed after the car they were driving was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle in Cooper's Town, North Abaco. According to police reports, the accident happened on S.C. Bootle Highway around 11:50 p.m., and involved a black Honda Civic, which was travelling north and a gray 2002 Cadillac traveling in the opposite direction. Rolle died at the scene, police said, and emergency medical services personnel rushed her two passengers to the Cooper's Town Clinic.
However, McIntosh, the mother of a two-year-old boy and an employee at Treasure Sands Club in Treasure Cay, succumbed to her injuries at the clinic early Sunday morning. The third passenger, believed to be in his 30s, died en route to the Princess Margaret Hospital on New Providence around 5 a.m. on Sunday. The driver of the Cadillac reportedly escaped the accident with minor injuries, while his 17-year-old passenger suffered a broken leg and arm. Lynda McIntosh, Shanique's aunt told The Nassau Guardian yesterday that the family was awaiting the return of Shanique's father from Florida before making any funeral plans.
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