‘Sad Day’ for Ministry of Health as driver dies in Pilgrim Road crash

A Ministry of Health official died Friday when he lost control of the pick-up truck he was driving and slammed head-on into a coach that was travelling in the opposite direction.

The death of 66-year-old Richard Newton of Sealy Hall, St John jolted Minister of Health and Wellness Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic, who told reporters on the scene that the loss has sent shockwaves throughout the health care system.

The smash-up occurred along a section of Pilgrim Road, Christ Church, around 10:45 a.m. Newton was travelling west, while a privately owned bus that was plying a Transport Augmentation Programme (TAP) route was travelling east with close to a dozen passengers onboard.

The Health Minister told reporters: “I was actually attending a graduation ceremony at the Deighton Griffith Secondary School when I got a call from my office indicating that there was a mass casualty accident here on Pilgrim Road involving a Ministry of Health and Wellness vehicle, and that there was a fatality.

“I made my way straight here to see what exactly was happening and if there was a need to give comfort to any of the members of the Ministry of Health and Wellness . . . . I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to the family of the deceased and the Medical Officer of Health and the staff of the polyclinic that is being affected by this.

“It is really a sad day. It couldn’t have come at a worse time given what we are facing at this point and the difficulties throughout the whole public healthcare system and the challenges they have working extra hours. So, this is really a serious blow and a sad one.”

Lt Col Bostic promised to speak with staff at the polyclinic where Newton worked and to provide counselling support to the co-workers.

When a Barbados TODAY team arrived on the scene around midday, two fire tenders, five ambulances and two medical doctors had responded to the accident.

Acting Police Inspector Rodney Inniss said police arrived on the scene within a few minutes of receiving the report of the accident between the Ministry of Health pick-up and the TAP bus that was on the Sam Lords Castle route.

He said: “We recognized that 11 persons complained of injuries. Those injuries were assessed by ambulance personnel at the scene. Of the 11 persons who were injured, three were transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, one person to the Randall Phillips Polyclinic, and seven of them [sought] private medical attention. More importantly and sadly, the driver of the pick-up vehicle, unfortunately, died at the scene .”

Expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, the police spokesman said lawmen would be carrying out further investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

This was the 11th fatality from 10 road accidents this year.