A late night joyride turned deadly on Monday when a pickup truck driven by a 15-year-old boy crashed into a utility pole along the Port Henderson main road in Portmore, St Catherine killing three children.

Police identified the dead children as 14-year-old Oshane Salmon; Crystal Robinson, 15; and her brother, Matthew Brown, 10, who the cops said were among a group of six youngsters travelling in the motor vehicle at the time of the accident.

Fifty-six year-old Olive Atkinson is a picture of grief as she remembers her two grandchildren who were killed in a motor vehicle accident in Portmore on Monday night. (Photo: Michael Gordon)

Police said the force of the impact resulted in the three being thrown from the bed of the pickup to their deaths.

The underaged driver, who allegedly took the vehicle owned by his father without his permission, was treated for minor injuries at hospital and released into police custody. The cops are, however, searching for the other two passengers, who they said fled the scene after the accident.

They were all from the 3 East community in Greater Portmore.

Head of traffic at the Greater Portmore Police Station, Inspector Michael Llewellyn, said the accident occurred about 11:30 pm when the youngster lost control of the vehicle.

"They were heading towards Kingston and on reaching the vicinity of the Jolly's Seafood Restaurant the motor truck developed a skid, and the driver lost control of the vehicle, which then collided into a utility pole," said Llewellyn. "Four of the persons who were travelling in the back of the truck were thrown from the vehicle."

Ten year-old Matthew Brown (left), and 14 year-old Oshane Salmon, who both died in a motor vehicle collision in Portmore, St Catherine on Monday night.

Llewellyn said that when police arrived on the crash scene, only the driver and the three injured children were seen. They were taken to hospital where the driver was treated and the others pronounced dead.

The police suspect that at least one of the other passengers may have suffered serious injuries.
They said the driver could be charged in connection with the incident.

"He was speeding. It is obvious that he was speeding," said Llewellyn. "He is liable to be charged with speeding, death by dangerous driving, driving away a motor vehicle without the owner's consent, and driving without a driver's licence and insurance coverage."

He said that the accused boy's father had been questioned by the cops, and that he had provided a written statement on the incident. It was unclear, however, whether he will be charged with any offences.

The ill-fated beige Isuzu vehicle, registered 7480 AZ, was taken to the Bridgeport Police Station for processing.

The incident left two families and the entire 3 East community in mourning.

Residents yesterday gathered at the homes of the victims to offer support to the children's seemingly inconsolable parents and guardian.

For 56-year-old Olive Atkinson, grandmother of Crystal and Matthew, her grief was made even more unbearable after she informed the children's mother, who is currently in the United States, about their deaths.

The last time she saw her grandchildren alive, she said, was when Matthew asked her for money to purchase ice-cream, and when she sent Crystal to put garbage outside.

An hour later, she received the grim news that they were both dead.

"They (neighbours) didn't even want to tell me, I just saw the crowd and was asking what happen. They just kept on telling me 'nothing Ms Olive, nothing'. But by the time I came up here, somebody told me that my granddaughter died," the woman recalled, gripping the grille on her veranda, her head bowed.

Next door, Oshane's father, Constable Wayne Salmon, reflected on the last moments of his son's life and whispered, to no one in particular: "My son deserves a second chance."

He had just finished watching highlights of Labour Day activities with his boy and was about to retire to bed when the youngster stepped out of the house, he said.

"My son is not a bad boy, he is easily controlled. He is not a boy that gives trouble. I don't know what caused him to go with them, I don't know, I don't know." he repeated, while shaking his head.

Salmon said the tragedy left his wife so traumatised that she has not left her bed.

Not even the handful of residents who congregated in her living room and prayed offered her any solace.