Two young people, returning from birthday outing, killed in St Philip crash

Two St Philip families were on Monday mourning the deaths of two 19-year-olds who were killed in a collision on Sunday afternoon while returning home from a birthday celebration.

The crash occurred at about 2:45 pm along Carrington Road, St Philip.

The victims, Raquan Darlington and Julisha Blades, were travelling with Darlington’s 19-year-old cousin and his 14-year-old sister when the crash occurred.

Raquan Darlington was killed in a collision on Sunday afternoon while returning home from a birthday celebration.

“He was a good boy, everybody got their ways, but he was a good boy,” grandfather Stephen Weir said, recalling the last time he saw his grandson before the group left to celebrate his cousin’s birthday.

“I normally see him on a morning to go carry his sister and brother,” he said, describing Darlington’s usual routine.

“My grandson bend over the car dead,” Weir said, shaking his head.

He said the family remains overwhelmed by grief.

“They ain’t good at all, everybody crying every minute.”

The group had been celebrating two birthdays, his cousin’s on Monday, and his girlfriend’s on January 10.

“They plan to do the party yesterday, but it didn’t keep no more, it had to get cancelled,” Weir explained, adding that they had been returning from an early celebration. “One of the catamaran rides and they came back home.”

The two other occupants of the vehicle are currently in hospital.

Darlington’s mother, Melissa Darlington, was grief-stricken. “I don’t know how I’m going to manage,” she told Barbados TODAY through tears. “He’s my firstborn; I got two other children.”

She described her son as a quiet, loving young man.

“I just leave him in his own world. He’s play his game and stuff, so I just leave him and let him do he. Otherwise, that’s all I can really say about Raquan. He’s very nice fella and he didn’t deserve to go at such a young age, but as people will say, God knows what’s best.”

She added that her daughter, who was also hurt in the collision, suffered a broken right arm and left leg.

Blades was an employee of the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill. Attempts to reach her department were unsuccessful.

Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the two vehicles were travelling in opposite directions when the collision occurred.

The driver of the other vehicle sought private medical attention.

(LG)