TRELAWNY, Jamaica — A pre-dawn excursion from St Catherine to Hanover ended in catastrophe Sunday when a Toyota Hiace overturned on the Salt Marsh main road, killing all five passengers on board.
What happened
- Time & location: Approximately 2:30 a.m. on the eastbound lane of the coastal corridor outside Falmouth.
- Vehicle: A white Hiace minivan believed to have left Spanish Town hours earlier.
- Destination: Hanover, for an advertised “sunrise-to-sunset” party, according to investigators.
- Outcome: Two victims died on impact; three were rushed to Falmouth Public General Hospital and later succumbed to multiple-trauma injuries, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) confirmed.
Victims
All five were adults listing addresses in Spanish Town and Portmore. Detectives are withholding their names until next-of-kin notifications are complete. Family-liaison officers from St Catherine North have been dispatched.
Early findings
Traffic-crash investigators spent several hours mapping skid marks and debris. While data from the vehicle’s electronic module are still being downloaded, preliminary assessment points to speed-related loss of control on a gentle left bend. Toxicology screens have been ordered.
National context
This single crash nudges Jamaica’s 2025 road-fatality count past 100 deaths, Island Traffic Authority figures show iriefm.net. Despite a modest decline earlier in the year, the north-coast corridor continues to log disproportionate weekend casualties.
“We’re pleading—again—for motorists heading to late-night events to slow down and rotate drivers if fatigue sets in,” said a senior officer attached to the JCF’s Traffic Division during an on-site briefing.
Next steps
- Forensic reconstruction: Full report due within 14 days.
- Autopsy & toxicology: Falmouth Public Hospital morgue.
- Road-safety audit: National Works Agency engineers will review the Salt Marsh stretch for signage and surface issues.
Bottom line
Five families are now in mourning over a trip that should have been routine. As investigators close in on the cause, Sunday’s rollover underscores Jamaica’s stubborn night-driving problem—and the steep human cost when caution fades before dawn.
