Hurt by loss of ‘Sweet Boy’

An air of sadness hovered over St Stephen’s Hill, Free Hill, and the surrounding St Michael districts as residents mourned the passing of a peaceful and industrious community member who suddenly lost his life in a road traffic accident.

Amidst the grief, residents have also lamented the reckless way that motorists traverse the narrow, but busy stretch where the unfortunate incident unfolded and lamented their own near-death experiences along St Stephen’s Hill.

At around 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon, Vincent Sweet Boy Alleyne became the country’s latest road fatality when a Daihatsu Mira struck him as he rode through the community where he spent the better part of his 42 years.

Residents and family members, particularly from the Free Hill area are said to have broken down in tears when they descended on the scene.

Paul Waterman, who heard the collision from his home, is still haunted by the motionless body of the well-known man that greeted him when he ventured outside.

“He was a very jovial fellow and if you asked him to do anything for you, he would do it. He would always be around and he would always be helpful. He was good, and I am sorry to see him go,” Waterman told Barbados TODAY.

“I am still trying to ascertain what really happened because it doesn’t seem like anybody was on the road . . . I was at the table getting something to eat and that situation knocked everything out of me. I forgot about eating because I am the person that called the ambulance.

“Everybody has their own idea of what happened, but the only people that know how it happened are Vincent and the man who was driving the car,” he explained.

Waterman also expressed concern about the mental state of the driver who was extremely distraught at the scene. Photos showed extensive damage to the motorcar and Alleyne’s bicycle had been bent out of shape.

“Yes, I miss Vincent, but I have to hope that the young man will be alright because after he went and saw the body, he just sat down and cried and cried. You have to feel sorry for him . . .  I just hope that he pulls through it a certain way,” said the long-time resident.

The heavily traversed road that links Black Rock and Cave Hill runs between a number of densely-populated communities. With no shoulder lane and very few sidewalks, pedestrians and pedal cyclists are forced to compete with fast-moving traffic along the winding road.

According to Waterman, three years ago an accident claimed the life of a school child and many others were injured. Since then, dozens of near misses have occurred.

“People need to slow down on this road, not just because of what happened yesterday, but in general,” Waterman told Barbados TODAY.

“As you can see, there isn’t much sidewalk, so people have to step in the road and you have motorists coming down here that do not use their head. I almost got struck a morning walking to the supermarket and a white Mazda almost broke my hand because the driver refused to take his time,” he recalled.

At J’s Variety and Liming Spot, a woman who would only identify as “Jackie” was struggling to come to grips with Sweet Boy’s death and said she hardly slept last night.

The middle-aged woman also complained about the number of people speeding through the district.

“Please slow down, because through here we have a lot of schools. We have St Stephen’s Primary, St. Stephen’s Nursery, and Ellerslie Secondary, and on evenings people are always in a rush, forget that children are walking the streets. They need to take their time,” she cried.

At Free Hill, Marguerita Stuart, the deceased’s aunt said the incident had taken them back to 2008 when one of Alleyne’s cousins was killed in an incident along Spring Garden Highway, now the Mighty Grynner Highway. The teary-eyed relative said the last time she saw her nephew alive was last Christmas. He leaves his mother, young son, four brothers, and two sisters to mourn. (kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)