Causeway: Serious Accident Causes Delays
[Updated] There are major traffic delays in the east end this evening [June 19] due to an accident at the beginning of the Causeway where two people were believed to have been trapped under a vehicle. Bystanders said the bike was traveling from the western direction and collided with the car, appeared to slide underneath,and trap both the rider and passenger.
Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said, “Both persons have been extricated and are on their way to the hospital. In a few minutes there will be one lane open to allow traffic to flow.At this time the condition or identity of the victims is unknown.”
Traffic was backed up hundreds of feet on both sides, while emergency services stopped both lanes of traffic to attend to the injured persons. The delays were such that some car occupants had turned their cars off and were getting out of their vehicles, wandering around and talking to each other.
Update 9:22pm: Traffic flow is still impeded. On the St George’s side, traffic is backed up to the BAS kitchen facility on Ferry Reach.
Update 9:27pm: Police statement below saying both the motorcycle rider and pillion passenger were trapped under the car and had to be extricated by police and members of the public. Both men are aged 33, and are considered to have serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Full Police statement below:
Police responded to a report of a Serious Road Traffic collision that took place at 7:45pm at Blue Hole Hill in St. Georges.
It appears that a 33 year old man was traveling east on that said road when he lost control of his cycle and collided with a car traveling in the opposite direction.
Both the pillion passenger and the rider were trapped under the car and had to be extricated by police and members of the public.
Both men (aged 33) were taken to KEMH were they are being treated for various broken bones. Their conditions are “Considered Serious” but at this point, non-life threatening.
Police are appealing for witnesses to contact police on 2950011.
We would also like to thank the members of the public who came to the aid on the injured men.
Update 9:45pm: Traffic is still delayed, the eastern side has traffic backed up to St David’s roundabout. There is heavy traffic coming out of St David’s this evening, as people are leaving the two events that were held their earlier today.
Update 10:18pm: The accident scene has been cleared, and traffic is flowing normally.
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I Pray that everyone involved is ok, SLOW DOWN BERMUDA this place is way too small to be riding/driving at these excessive speed, also texting whil driving/riding I see it everyday almost 80% of people doing it while on the roads
also texting whil driving/riding I see it everyday almost 80% of people doing it while on the roads
That and just indiscriminately using the cell phone … It’s supremely dumb but if common sense doesn’t dictate it , it’s already against the law.
Probably didn’t have anything to do with this crash , but leave the damn cell phone alone ! It’s more than likely responsible for more accidents than driving under the influence (and that includes the influence of drugs too).
Not just texting! People talking on cell phones. IT IS ILLEGAL!!!! and the worst part is I see cops doing it all the time
I second that i see it quite often n i have a clear view at them.
Motorcycle on the opposite side of the road. And why is the entire Police force there? I can see that one lane can be opened for traffic in those pictures being the victims have been taken to hospital.
It take at least 12 police officials to attend one traffic accident…. I think this may be money wasted… don’t you think.
Cause that all the good at simple.
Presumably, the police were called in numbers to combat a number of issues: 1. The severity of the accident. 2. The need to take appropriate witness statements and collect evidence. 3. In order to attend to the huge bottleneck that an accident in this location would have caused. I’m sure the police would have been more than aware of the need to open at least one lane of traffic as soon as possible, and would have done so once the area was cleared and any necessary evidence had been obtained. Do we Bermudians/residents really need to be criticising the police for attending serious traffic accidents?
I don’t know what happened in this particular accident but I know what I see on the roads everyday from one end of the island to the other.
Just cruise at 35-40k and get there when you get there, when you pass me you will just be getting to the next stop in traffic a little ahead of me when I roll up behind you and see you stopped there. Yes I can see you driving that massive SUV in my rear view and you freaking out because I’m going so slow, that is when I slow down even more to just 35k when I KNOW you can’t pass me. Slow down and save some gas. Oh, and I’m that guy who drives close enough to the line to make you third lane drivers have to duck back into your lane, yes I see you every morning. If you are one of the ones on bikes zipping through traffic doing 60+k and then get slammed don’t think I’m going to feel sorry for you, you are playing with your life and if you kill yourself that is called suicide.
Keeping it unreal,I agree on some things but you’re actually causing more danger to drivers if you do drive like this. I don’t disagree with the strategy you have for the third lane riders (if everyone did it they would stop) but driving at 35-40 is not safe. I know for a fact that this causes more road rage in drivers and makes them want to overtake. Also, most cars cannot handle this constant low speed because it’s right between the gear changes on automatics. Unless you have a CVVT this just grinds your gears (literally and figuratively). 45-50km/h is an appropriate speed I think, it’s safe for most roads here and is not excessive. The 70kmh+/third lane/driving over the line/braking to let more than 2 people go/delayed reactions/etc must stop. We really need to improve our training/enforcement for drivers.
I remember when people where courteous on the road they would see a rider trying to pass and slow down or pull a little closer to the side..people used to genuinely care about LIFE reguardless if the rider was in the wrong or not..in my opinion you and people like you are the problem..beremuda used to have a history of pack riders which no longer exists speed and nipps was a regular thing not anymore but we still have accidents it aint the rider in the third lane that is the problem it’s people like you that can’t stand being overtaken and would rather see someone hurt and not feel sorry for them rather than let them cross…shame on you
i’m speaking in general terms and not necessarily to these accident victims as i don’t know the circumstances….but you can’t be serious! i care about human life and i probably save a few lives every week looking out for these morons. but maybe THAT is part of the problem- these fools are so used to having someone hit brakes, anticipate their foolish ‘nips’ and swerving to avoid them, that they get more and more brazen each time out there. they don’t even realize how close they were to death if it wasn’t for other people saving their life every day. how foolish…
i literally saved a guy’s life a few years ago by slamming brakes when he overtook on the inside of me- i would’ve hit him head on and catapaulted him into an oncoming truck. when i laid on the horn he got mad at me. i saw him later up the road and explained how i saved his life. he laughed at me and said: “i’m a RIDER, i know what i’m doing!” the sad thing is, this idiot actually believed he avoided death because he was a capable and competent ‘rider’. nah boss- if it wasn’t for me, EMTs would’ve been shoveling bits and pieces of him off the road. and he was not a teenager- this was an older man in his 40s.
i value human life but i’m sorry- i will not speed up to prevent stupid overtakers from being able to swing in…..but i will drive my car as normal. if these idiots choose to put their lives at risk and roll the dice, it is THEIR FAULT and their fault ONLY if they lose their life taking such stupid chances on the roads. everyone is responsible for their own life and it’s ridiculous to blame others for these fools recklessness.
@someguy, you are ABSOLUTELY right. “Unreal” and his ilk are a big part of the problem. Incivility, hostility, spitefulness and generally being a bad person are the behaviours that he is so proud of. He should be ashamed of himself. Unless he’s a police officer, it’s not his job to enforce traffic laws, and risk lives in the process.
@ KIU
In fact the slower we drive here , the more gas we use .. In a way.
Because of our speed limit and topography we’re always stuck in ‘city mode’ driving. On the throttle , off the throttle , brake , repeat ad nauseum.
If we could maintain a steady , say , 60kph for the duration of our journey we’d get much better mileage than 35-40 where your engine is always working to overcome hills ,etc , just to keep the car’s momentum up .
Now , back to topic …
@Technically speaking I beg to disagree, I get %25 better fuel efficiency sticking to 35-40k as opposed to 50k and only really hit the gas a little going up hill or on a flat, I coast down hills and range part way up the next, I still have to tap brakes going down most hills though to stick under 40k. I know my fuel efficiency because I reset my trip meter with every fill up and keep my fuel receipts, its easy to work out.
The speed LIMIT in this country is 35kph. It does vary in parts of the island but only to go down. Argue about it all you like, it is black and white in the Road Traffic Act:
http://www.bermudalaws.bm/Laws/Consolidated%20Laws/Road%20Traffic%20Act%201947.pdf
If someone is driving at me on the wrong side of the road why should I be forced to drive closer to the side? They need to get their butt back over the line, I’m not going to drive into the wall because they need to overtake twenty cars.
I am not a cop but I do call the police and report serious driving offenses and dangerous driving when I see it, as should all.
@someguy wake up and smell the spilled gas and blood in the road. We have never in our history had as many road deaths as in the last decade. I have witnessed more than enough accidents and deaths on our roads first hand, been there. Anyone going over 35k is speeding and accidents at lowers speeds are generally far less severe and less fatal. If some jackass flies past me doing 70k, twice my speed, and hits an oncoming vehicle in the opposite lane on a blind corner it has nothing to do with me but that same rider could have put my life or one of my family members lives at risk and you want me to feel sorry for them? For the innocent victims yes by all means, but if they use their vehicle like a weapon and hurt others or kill themselves then they might just as well have used a shotgun.
@Billy M I can only enforce the traffic laws on myself by adhering to the legal speed limit and maintaining a safe mode of driving in my lane, what is the problem? I have no problem coming to an abrupt stop if needed while going 35k. I’m not the one driving in the wrong lane in the opposite direction to traffic, and the police really do need to get on with enforcing this a lot more.
“Bermuda’s road death rate is six times worse than the UK’s, according to Road Safety Officer David Minors.”
“He said measures to address the problem must include enforcement and responsibility for personal driving habits. “All we ask is that you remember that all you need to do to change the chaos on our roads is simply to control you,” he added.”
The best mileage I ever got out of my car was before we had the traffic explosion and I could maintain 50k for a few miles at a time..c’mon we’re only talking 30mph here.
The new unofficial speed limit appears to be 56k , but how long can anyone maintain a given speed here .
Technnically forgot to mention that at our speeds we’re nowhere near in the torque band of the engine specs to get decent mileage. If you could maintain 40k on a level for miles at a stretch you would get halfway decent mileage , but with our conditions that’s virtually impossible. It’s non stop on and off the gas pedal one hill after another.. not conducive to fuel efficiency at all.
And @ IRATE FAMILIA .. everyday life must be a painful experience for you..you know ..surrounded by all that ‘reality sh*t’ .. Grow up !
Unreal, just so you know, your behaviour is clinically sociopathic. You should seek professional help.
@Billy M Couch Psychiatrist
Hey, didn’t I say I was going to add spikes to the front bumper… “Lighten up Francis” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B65mtE2TN1w&feature=player_embedded
Seriously, by going 35k I can save someones life because I CAN stop when they don’t have a space in traffic to nip back into, then they would only hit me with whatever speed they couldn’t control. However I have “pinched” a bike between me and the truck in front when two guys on a bike “nipped” from outside to the inside by going between up at speed in traffic. When the truck pulled ahead they just fell over, got back up and took off, guess they were worried someone might have seen them…and laughed.
So glad no one was killed. The Police did a good job. Let them do what they have to do. SLOW DOWN PEOPLE! THESE ROADS HAVE NO MERCY!
I was on the scene of the crash (not really an “accident” as the cycle driver was going so fast that a crash should have been expected – Mach 4; he’s lucky to be alive and not have killed his passenger as well). The Police acted professionally despite abusive behaviour from idiots criticizing them for… I’m not sure what exactly. One irate bystander in particular should have spent the night in prison for his abuse of the officers on the scene. Evidently, the bike driver lost control because he decided to drive too fast to manage the slight bend at Blue Hole onto the Causeway, and some poor oncoming driver had him slide under his car. My thoughts are with that driver; how traumatic that must have been!
Agree with you Billy M. Although I did not see this one, its more surprising there weren’t more especially on that corner. Yesterday the racers were out in force on the roads at least in the East part of the Island.
It’s pretty obvious that the bike heading east failed to navigate the bend onto the causeway. This isn’t news – it’s a daily occurrence. Between the SUVs that can’t seem to “keep between the lines”, the excessive passing on blind corners on cycles, cellphones, texting, tail gating, high speed (or low speed) taxi drivers, (need I go on?) – it’s surprising that half this country doesn’t have injuries or wrecked cars.
HEY BILLY M I WISH I KNEW WHO DA F*CK U REALLY R CAUSE I’D COME N BREAK UR FINGERS 4 TYPING DAT 2ND BIT OF BULLSH!T! IF U DON’T KNOW WTF YOUR TALKING ABOUT N ‘APPARENTLY’ SAW IT THEN STFU! STR8 UP!! IT’S GUYS LIKE U WHO GET PUNCHED IT YOUR MOUTHS 1 TIME!!! HANG IN DER FORDY N NOBE! NUFFF LOVE!!!
REAL TALK ‘BDA PPL R SO SPECIAL’
Praying for my two college mates speedy recovery and for their families to be strong!!
They were speedin on da phone and all the other bs I’ve read how many of u were there or witnessed it????? Maybe u fools would know first off they were struck NOT the other way around all da police were there cause this was a possible death or two thank god it weren’t just had to let all the dumb A**es know u really need a life some of u! Had it been one ya relatives sure u’d feel different
While I am sorry if this was a friend or relative of yours and I am glad that both of them are alive, I have to ask you, were you there or did you witness this crash? Because clearly from the picture, the bike was on the wrong side of the road. The Gazette stated, “The bike, which was travelling East bound, is understood to have been trying to overtake another vehicle on the corner when the accident happened. Witnesses said the bike, which ended up on the wrong side of the road, was travelling at high speed and the impact of the crash lifted up the car.” Have the pictures been doctored, are the witnesses lying? Is this a mass conspiricy against the innocent bike riders of Bermuda? Really, you need to be honest with yourself. Whilst we rejoice that they are alive you need to realize that they bought this unfortunate accident on themselves by speeding and riding recklessly.
@bda ppl r special, they were speeding which is the one and only reason that they failed to navigate the very subtle bend in the road; it was entirely their fault. And yes, I was there! They were going Mach 4, fell at the turn due to their insane speed, and slid into the wall before an unfortunate oncoming driver had to experience the trauma of your mates/relatives/whatever attempted suicide under his car.
Does anyone else think that perhaps the government could look at varying the speed limit in places like other countries do rather than just 35km/hr the whole island over. For example, along kindley field you could easily do 50 km/hr quite safely while in other areas such as flats and harbour road only doing 25-35 km/hr. Also anyone who overtakes on a corner and can’t see what’s happening is just plain stupid. And maybe its time to invest in some speed cameras!
I like the idea of a ‘variable speed limit’ …hell , even 50K on Ferry Reach Road is like a snail’s pace … more please … haha
I bet though , that it would just result in ‘open season’ for the numerous idiots who are already out of control.
‘Honessly misssa policeman ..I thought I was still in a 70k zone …’ etc
It could be a usefull , maybe even practical piece of legislation , but it would probably be the reverse of that dumb , poorly thought out ’5kt no wake law’ of many years back . Technically you’re breaking the law if you’re on plane 50 yards off of North Rock or in the seaways off of the west end.
@bermydrive, that might be a good idea, but this accident had nothing to do with speed limits. These guys were far exceeding ANY speed limits that would have been appropriate ANYWHERE in Bermuda.
Just look at the front end damage to the car. Look at it. Now go figure…..
HEY BILLY M I WISH I KNEW WHO DA F*CK U REALLY R CAUSE I’D COME TO YOU 2ND BIT OF BULLSH%T!! IF U DON’T KNOW WTF YOUR TALKING ABOUT N ‘APPARENTLY’ SAW IT THEN STFU! STR8 UP!! ANG IN DER FORDY N NOBE! NUFFF LOVE!!!
REAL TALK ‘BDA PPL R SO SPECIAL’
Perhaps you should be more irate with your familia member for allegedly being such an idiot.
My most absolute and sincere apologies if it does turn out that he was in fact simply a nice boy who was on his way to deliver hot meals to elderly shut-ins and just as he was about to cross the causeway, the evil car driver crossed the line in order to ram him and then dragged everything over to the westbound lane to stage the “accident” for all the witnesses/police/etc
PEOPLE NEED TO STOP BEING SO NEGATIVE AT TIMES WE ALL HAVE DONE SOMETHING CRAZY ON THE ROAD SPEED OR WHATEVER SO SHHHHHHHHHH. MY FAMILY IS COMING TO TERMS WITH WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED, SO IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE COMMENTS PLEASE LEAVE POSITIVE VIBES AND ENCOURAGING WORDS.WE THE BEAN AND FORD FAMILY ARE PRAYING PEOPLE AND WE KNOW THAT GOD AND ONLY GOD IS IN CONTROL OF THIS SITUATION FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END.THERE IS NO ONE GREATER THEN GOD !!!!
SO ON THIS NOTE I WILL SAY TO THEM IS A GOD WHO CAN DO ALL THINGS HANG IN THEIR GUYS,FIGHT AS THIS BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, THIS TO SHALL PASS.DION I LOVE YOU AS YOU WHERE MY OWN BE STRONG ONE DAY AT A TIME DARLING. LOTS OF HUGS KISSES AND PRAYERS YOUR BIG COUSIN/ AUNTIE.
I have to agree that it is rather thoughtless for us to make comments about this particular accident when two young men have been so seriously injured and their families are trying to deal with what could be a terrible tragedy for either or both families. The problem is that so many of our young men are being seriously injured or killed on our roads in in countless cases it is due to one party or the other driving or riding at reckless speeds. Sadly, it is not God who is in control of these situations it is the young men with their hands on the accelerators. We can all pray to God to bring our boys through but our atrocious accident rate is not caused by God. However, we will pray for these two young men to pull through.
People need to stop typing in all caps.
To bermydrive – no I don’t think we should vary the speed limit. I can just hear all the excuses now and I hate to think of how many signs we would have to erect on every stretch of road throughout the Island so that speeders would have no excuse to say, “oh I thought it was only 55kph on Harbour Road!”
If you want a real answer to reducing serious accidents and fatalities on our roads how about this one. There should be a system set up between the Courts and the Insurance companies making it mandatory for ALL speeding offences, and all offences such as careless driving, dangerous driving, death by dangerous driving, driving while impaired, refusing to take the alco-analyzer test, driving while using a mobile phone etc., to be reported to the insurance company of the convicted offender. The Insurance Companies should then set strict rules about what offences will result in cancellation of the insurance policy for the vehicle, and also about increases in the insurance company rates for offenders who continually commit traffic offences. I should not be required to pay extra premiums because a select group of idiots are driving around like crazy!
I understand your idea about the number of signs that would be erected….but surely it would be better to have a speed limit of say 50kph in areas and actually enforce it rather than 35 kph and say your unlikely to be stopped until your doing closer to 55 kph?
That is also a very good idea about insurance companies. People should not have to pay more due to a select set of individuals.
To bermydrive – this time I tend to agree with you, not on varied speed limits but on slightly increasing the speed limit to maybe 45 kmh on the clear understanding that, as in other countries, that if you travel at either 5% or 10% over the speed limit the Police will enforce the law and prosecute those driving over 50kmh. Realistically, the courts have to allow for the inaccuracy of speedometers which are generally up to 5% out – because a driver must have some sort of guilty intent.
That said I firmly believe that I should not have to keep paying more and more for my insurance if I’m a safe and careful driver while some individuals are driving and riding around like lunatics. Insurance companies should demand that anyone insuring or reinsuring their vehicles MUST provide them with a list of all traffic convictions during the previous year (when re-insuring) and they should have the right to view Court records.
If we put as much energy into speaking kinds words or manifesting positive outcomes as we do into criticizing and just generally being nasty and uncompassionate the world would be a much better place…
Claiming a miracle for both my cousin and his friend…
Love you like life baby!!!
Need you back before the season kicks off so I can tease you about your dumb team!
2 great guys!! We need you guys to make a full recovery you are to important to lose!
Unfortunate accident, but these are productive men in our community on many levels! May you be blessed with a full recovery.
SPENCE FAMILY