A motor vehicle that crashed along the Pepper main road in St Elizabeth has claimed the life of a man and his female companion while three other persons have been hospitalised in critical condition.

The dead man has been identified as Jermaine Pothemon, 28, a taxi operator of Portmore Pines in St Catherine.

The woman is yet to be identified.

The two were travelling in a white Toyota probox motor car which crashed into an Izusu truck.

The Santa Cruz police report that about 3:30 yesterday afternoon, the two vehicles were travelling from Mandeville, Manchester towards Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth.

On reaching a section of the road in Pepper District the driver of the car was in the process of overtaking the truck when the driver slowed and the action led to the crash.

The driver of the truck and two other passengers were rushed to hospital in critical condition.

13 persons have lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in St Elizabeth since the start of the year.