Death hits again! - Spanish Town couple dies while mourning murder of 14-year-old relative
A cloud of sorrow hangs heavily over Sombreno Drive in Lauriston district, Spanish Town, St Catherine, after the shocking deaths of Dwayne and Simone Campbell, a married couple who perished in a horrific crash on the North Coast Highway early Sunday morning.
The Campbells, known for their vibrant personalities and deep involvement in community life, were among five people killed in the crash, which occurred around 2:30 a.m. along Salt Marsh Road in Trelawny. They were reportedly heading to a taxi colleague's event in Western Jamaica.
Just days before the accident, Simone had been in mourning herself -- grieving the loss of her son's 14-year-old sister, Teyanna Sutherland, who was brutally killed while vacationing in St Thomas. Those who saw her in her final hours recalled a woman consumed by heartbreak but still trying to push through for others.
"A yesterday [Saturday] we a talk bout her son's sister who was killed and she a cry," shared a close friend who saw Simone only hours before the crash.
"That's how I ended up telling her that I'm going to work because she was mourning and mi did feel sad fi see her like that."
One friend described her last moment with Simone.
"My last encounter was yesterday with her, we did a talk and Dwayne call her fi buy something. If nobody did tell me say a the last moment that wid Simone, mi woulda tell dem say a lie dem a tell."
"Mi still cyaa believe," a stunned resident said. "A just yesterday mi see them. Simone even a plan fi cook a little food and celebrate her birthday next week."
The crash has left the tight-knit Larriston community stunned. Residents described Simone as a hustler, always trying to make ends meet.
"Dwayne is a hard-working man and mi a tell you Simone is a trying girl, when she not doing one thing she's trying another," a community member shared, while glancing at the quiet yard that once buzzed with activity.
"She nuh leave her kids go nowhere, even her little grand baby a him a the ducta fi her taxi," another community member recalled.
According to the police, the Toyota minibus carrying the Campbells and 10 others ran off the roadway in Salt Marsh. Two people died on the scene, and three others -- including the Campbells -- were later pronounced dead at the Falmouth Hospital.
Superintendent Ainsley McCarty, head of the Trelawny Police Division, said there were no signs of braking before the crash, pointing to excessive speed as a likely factor.
"We urge motorists to obey the speed limit. Drive carefully -- the life you save could be your own or someone else's," McCarty warned.
He noted a troubling spike in road fatalities in the parish. "At this time last year, we had nine deaths. So far this year, that number has risen to 15."
Trelawny resident Vincent Richards, who visited the crash site, believes poor road conditions may have contributed. "There's a ditch right where the bus ran off. If you don't know about it, it catch you off guard," he said. "They need to fix it before more lives are lost."
According to the Road Traffic Unit, 188 people have died in crashes on Jamaican roads since the start of the year.
- Leon Jackson contributed to this story.