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Motorcyclist nursing head injury following crash during Central Manchester 'drive through'

Published:Sunday | August 23, 2020 | 12:00 AM
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In this image captured from a video circulating on social media, supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are seen assisting a 33-year-old motorcyclist who crashed along the Content Main Road in Manchester yesterday. The JLP was conducting a motorcade, which it dubbed a 'drive through' of the Central Manchester constituency to shore up support for its candidate Rhoda Crawford, who challenging the People's National Party's Peter Bunting.
An image taken from the footage of the motor vehicle into which the bike man crashed.
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A 33-year-old motorcyclist, who was part of a motorcade of Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters yesterday in Central Manchester, is nursing head injuries after crashing in Content in the constituency.

Confirming the incident, head of the Manchester Police Division, Superintendent Gary Francis, said preliminary information suggests that the motorcycle crashed into a Nissan Skyline motor car while overtaking another vehicle that was in a similar process on the Content main road.  

Francis said the incident happened some time after 3 p.m., while the bike was heading towards Christiana. The car was coming from the opposite direction.

“As far as I know, the motorcade would be coming in the opposite direction … the direction he was heading,” said Superintendent Francis, referring to a ‘drive-through’ led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in the Central Manchester constituency.

The man was rushed to the Mandeville Regional Hospital and up to 7 p.m. was not speaking, one of two sisters told The Gleaner. They requested that their names not be mentioned.

There were no other reports of injuries. 

A video being circulated online, in which the sisters identified their brother, showed him being assisted into a taxi by several people clad in JLP-branded outfits, while others lined the streetside.

The sisters, who were at the hospital when The Gleaner arrived about 6:45 p.m., said they got a call around 3:30 from a relative who was in the motorcade and arrived at the hospital around 4.p.m.

They said no representative of the JLP campaign team visited the hospital or checked on their brother's status.

"From me down here until till now, me nuh see no representatives. Me feel very bad about it. No matter if a motorcade, me know dem know seh a accident 'cause police come over here to take statement," one said, adding that doctors indicated that their brother was not responding and so could not be interviewed at the time.

"Right now him head mash up ... me go in there and see the doctor a stitch him up.”

Telephone calls to Rhoda Crawford, the JLP candidate, have gone unanswered. 
 
Despite a ban triggered by COVID-19 concerns, several motorcades have been formed in the constituency in support of Crawford, who is seeking to unseat Peter Bunting of the People's National Party.

At an emergency press briefing on Friday over the spike in cases, Holness said candidates would only be allowed what he termed “a drive-through” in constituencies accompanied by just two 'Coaster' buses with no more than 15 persons each.

Those were not observed during yesterday's events. 

Last week, there were also reports of motor vehicle crashes and injuries involving supporters of both main political parties during nomination day activities. 

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