A man is treasuring his last moments of expressions of love and kindness to his six year old son who was hit down and killed near Brown’s Town, St Ann on Monday, October 9.
He is Oneil Williams, a student of Gibraltar Primary school. Oneil was travelling home in the same taxi with his nine-year-old brother and was hit and killed when he exited the taxi. His father who had seen him earlier went to the scene and lifted his boy from the ground and placed him in a police car. It was too late.
Oneil had just started primary school in September, and was heading home on the fateful afternoon, Monday, October 9. He was hit by a motorcar close to his home, at Yalland, near Brown’s Town.
Reports are that at about 4 o’clock he exited a taxi on the right side of the vehicle and reportedly ran across the road when he was hit by an oncoming Toyota motorcar. He was dragged several feet by the car and was pronounced dead at St Ann’s Bay Hospital.
In an interview with The Times a few days after the incident, the boy’s father Devon Williams, recounted the last moments with young Oneil.
Mr Williams who described Oneil as a cheerful person says he had seen Oneil just before he left in the taxi. Mr Williams said he saw him coming from school and told him “fix up yuh clothes boss, cause a neva suh him leave fi school, and him seh yes daddy mi ago fix it up.” Mr Williams was working nearby.
Mr Williams added that Oneil’s mother would have gone to pick him up at school as usual, however, it was not so on Monday as she was ill.
He said after Oneil left school and he saw him, he ordered some drinks from a shop for Oneil and his nine-year-old son, Oneil’s brother. After getting the drinks the boys, boarded a taxi, not knowing the tragedy that was to come.
Upon reaching an area of the community, the car stopped for the boys to exit. That is when Oneil was hit by the other car. According to Mr Williams, Oneil was sitting in someone else’s lap on the right back door of the vehicle while his brother, was yet to exit the vehicle.
Mr Williams believed that Oneil’s death could have been avoided, if the driver of the taxi had stopped on the opposite side of the road so the children wouldn’t have to cross. “If him did cross the road, Oneil woulda deh here today”.
Oneil had dreams of becoming a soldier or a police officer so he could, what his father called, in his words “lock up bad man”.
According to Mr Williams, Oneil was a ‘day maker’. “Mi feel it cause when yuh come in sad, him wi mek yuh laugh,” he said. He said he lost a love he will never find in anyone else, but is grateful, nevertheless. “Have fi give the lord thanks a nuh the two a them,” Mr Williams told The Times.
Mr Williams also shared that Oneil had gone to church the day before. He said Oneil had come home excited, saying church was fun and that he had got a lollipop from the Sunday School teacher after completing a puzzle. “Him seh, ‘Daddy all mi a try bite the sweetie mi couldn’t bite it’”, Mr Williams recounted.
Oneil’s death has left a void in the life of his parents and sibling with whom he was living. His father said he was humble and was never known to be a fighter or trouble maker. Mr Williams said “sometimes him deh home and you not even know he’s here until him come and tell him mother say him hungry, him quiet.”
Memories of vibrant little Oneil are etched in the minds of those with whom he came in contact with.
NRSC saddened by death of Oneil
And in the wake of the death of Oneil Williams, the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) is appealing to all road users to obey the rules of the road and to be extremely careful, responsible and courteous on the roads.
In a release, the NRSC expressed “its deepest regrets after reports that on Monday, October 9, as six-year-old Oneil Williams was crossing the road after having just exited a taxi, he was struck by a motor car. Young Oneil was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The NRSC is imploring drivers to abide by the speed limit and to exercise added caution when driving, particularly in built-up areas, school zones and when approaching vehicles that have stopped to let off passengers. It said, “Pedestrians, especially children and the elderly, are vulnerable road users and any errors or lapses in judgement can be disastrous, so drivers must be mindful of this and extend the necessary care and courtesy to this group.”
According to Paula Fletcher, executive director of the Council, as at October 12, there have been 261 fatalities as a result of 241 road crashes in comparison to 302 deaths from 250 crashes over the same period last year. This represents a 14% decrease in fatalities for the comparative period. Of the fatalities, to date, 67 are pedestrians and they account for 26% of total fatalities. Of the 67 pedestrians who died, 6% are children. Children are categorized in the 0 – 18 age band.
The NRSC is also urging parents to teach their children to develop life-saving road safety habits and to ensure they are adhered to every time a child is on the road. To instill this kind of behaviour, parents and guardians must lead by example.
