The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are not yet considering charges in connection with any of the traffic fatalities that occurred over the weekend, Officer in Charge of the Traffic Division Ken Strachan said yesterday.

Supt Strachan said police are still in the initial stages of the investigations and at this point have opted not to charge anyone.

He said: “We have a process that needs to be followed with respect to our investigations and as it progresses you will be updated. We have not referred any charges in any of these matters as yet as the investigation is early and as soon as we reach to a point whereby we can determine the cause of these events, we will be in a better position to respond.”

On Friday two teen girls lost their lives in two separate accidents.

Around 4.45pm, 13-year-old Denisha Barr was hit by a car while attempting to cross the Tonique Williams Darling Highway.

She was pronounced dead on the scene. A six-year-old boy who was walking with her is listed in serious but stable condition at hospital.

Supt Strachan said the boy has a severe left leg fracture and a contusion to the head but is alert and making good progress.

He said the children were not on a pedestrian crossing when the accident occurred.

A few hours later, around 10pm, 19-year-old Wedina Barr was crushed to death when a garbage truck crashed into her wooden home.

Supt Strachan said the truck crashed into two utility poles and dragged a parked car 40 feet before colliding into the wooden structure.

The teen girl was “sandwiched” between the garbage truck and a vehicle parked in the yard.

He also responded to critics who questioned why it took so long for police to extract the body from the rubble, comparing the search to “ finding a needle in a haystack.”

He said: “We understood at a particular point we had lost her but care had to be taken to use all means necessary to recover the individual as humanely as possible. Having found her, we had to take steps to ensure the integrity of what was left was kept in tact.

“You could not just drive the truck out. We need to move it, get the machinery to lift it and get underneath the debris to find her. It was a very challenging dangerous task.”

Supt Strachan thanked all those who helped recover the body including the crane operators, BEC personnel, BTC, Cable Bahamas, Fire Services and the community at large.