The soldiers who were rushed to the hospital in a multi-vehicle collision in downtown Kingston on Friday morning did not have life-threatening injuries. New reports shared that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) members are said to be in good health.
The early-morning crash took place at the intersection of Harbour Street and Hanover Street. The incident involved a JDF service vehicle and another vehicle, believed to be privately owned.
While the exact cause of the collision has not been confirmed, video footage that surfaced online captured the wreckage and two uniformed soldiers lying on the ground. A third soldier was attending to a soldier sprawled behind a stoplight pole. The other injured soldier was lying partially on the sidewalk a few steps away.
Bystanders gathered around at the scene, and emergency teams were called. The injured soldiers were taken to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) for medical attention. It is understood that their injuries were not serious.
The Jamaica Observer reported that when reporters visited the hospital later that morning, one soldier, believed to be the one who was attending to the injured, was seen conscious and alert in the Accident and Emergency waiting area, chatting with concerned civilians who had stopped by to offer support. The other two soldiers were being treated inside the ward, but according to reports, they too were in stable condition.
Images and videos from the scene revealed that the JDF service vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage and appeared to have veered into a ditch. The red car involved in the crash was shown a few feet away, partially on the sidewalk and lodged against the side of a building. Additional footage showed the injured soldiers being carried away.
Authorities have not yet released an official statement on what caused the accident. However, earlier reports confirmed that the police are investigating the circumstances surrounding this morning’s collision.