Shock as pregnant woman dies in road crash
While many celebrated their mothers on Sunday, relatives and friends of 22-year-old Torian Elliott, who was five months pregnant, were hit with the crippling news of her death and that of her unborn child following a major crash.
Elliott’s death has been a double whammy for her immediate family, according to councillor candidate for the Ritchies Division in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation Stephen Williams. Elliott lost her mother two years ago on May 16. Williams said the community has been hit really hard following the news of Elliott’s tragic death.
“She was very quiet and jovial. As you encounter with her the first thing you see was a smile. I took it very hard because she grew in my hands,” he said, adding that Elliott lived next door while she was growing up and would always drop by.
According to police reports, about 7:30 p.m. Elliott, her boyfriend and another person were travelling in a Toyota Crown motor car along the Winston Jones Highway when they were hit by another vehicle which did not stop. The driver of the Toyota subsequently lost control of the vehicle which ended up on the embankment. A part of the metal rail ran through the car, pinning Elliott down. Firefighters, who extricated Elliott from the car, said it took them between 25 to 30 minutes with the help of bystanders to cut through the vehicle. All three individuals were taken to the Mandeville Regional Hospital where Elliott was pronounced dead. There are also reports that some of Elliott’s relatives, in hurrying to get to the crash site, were also involved in a crash in Cobbla district as the minibus in which they were travelling collided with another vehicle. An alleged eyewitness said that they were taken to the Percy Junor Hospital.
Elliott, who was a final year student of the Knox Community College pursuing a bachelor’s degree in primary education, was due to graduate in October, according to the principal of the institution, Dr Davia Ramgeet.
Scores of persons on social media have been expressing their grief since Sunday. One told THE STAR that she and Elliott were friends since they attended Bishop Gibson High School.
“Torian was such a darling. Trust me, when I heard last night I tried calling her and when someone answered the phone and said she died, I passed out,” said the friend. “This is last thing I expected to hear.”