A Jamaican firefighter was killed after a car crashed into the back of a parked fire truck in Ocho Rios, St Ann on Wednesday.
The deceased has been identified as 25-year-old Larenzo Douse, who was assigned to the Ocho Rios Fire Station.
Reports are that the incident happened around 2:40 p.m. along the Ocho Rios main road after a motorist overtook a line of traffic in the area of Reynolds Pier and crashed into the back of a fire truck which was parked at the side of the road.
Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie said the crew had just finished a firefighting operation in the area and was replacing the equipment in the back of the truck.
According to McKenzie, Douse was alone at the back putting a pump into the fire truck when the car slammed into the firetruck, crushing him.
McKenzie said the firefighter was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Douse joined the Jamaica Fire Brigade at the age of 19, served for six years, and celebrated his 25th birthday on November 13.
McKenzie added that the mourning of his tragic death extends beyond the Ocho Rios Fire Station, where he was stationed, and into the St. Catherine Division, where the young firefighter’s father is a serving assistant superintendent.
“This is yet another instance of the tragedy, grief, pain, and bitterness that is caused by personal irresponsibility, in this case by a motorist who overtook a line of traffic, rather than trying to reach a chosen destination by obeying the rules of the road,” McKenzie said in a statement.
The local government minister is urging all road users to act responsibly.
