The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

INVESTIGATORS are expected to conduct interviews today with the eight prisoners who were on a prison bus when it collided with a jeep driven by an elderly woman on Thursday.

According to Craig Stubbs, officer in charge of the Traffic Division, officers are still trying to determine what caused the Fox Hill crash and will be visiting Her Majesty’s Prison today to interview witnesses.

He also confirmed that the prisoners, hurt in the accident, have all been treated and released from hospital.

On Thursday, residents of the Fox Hill community called for an end to daily high speed prison convoys through Fox Hill after an elderly woman was taken to hospital when a prison bus and her car collided on Thursday.

The bus, driven by a Royal Bahamas Police Force officer, with eight prisoners, charged with armed robbery and murder, and two prison guards, was travelling south on Fox Hill Road when it hit a car coming out of a side corner on Rose Street.

Sheila Rolle, 77, was driving the blue Daihatsu Terios when the accident occurred shortly before noon.

The impact caused the prison bus to flip on its side. The driver’s side of Mrs Rolle’s small SUV was severely damaged. She was on her way to the Fox Hill community centre, which is opposite to where the accident happened.

When The Tribune arrived at the scene, scores of Fox Hill residents had gathered behind yellow crime scene tape as police carried out initial investigations. Shards of glass, blood and burned rubber littered the street.

EMS officials in a nearby ambulance were assisting Mrs Rolle who was cover in blood after suffering serious head and neck injuries. A short time later she was taken to hospital.

She is now said to be in stable condition.

While the incident left many of the residents shaken, they said it was no surprise as every day, prisoners are transported to the courts at dangerous speeds. In 2011, a collision with another prison vehicle resulted in two inmates and a guard being hospitalised.

“This is just something that was bound to happen,” said Wesley Neely, “because we as residents of Fox Hill, we go through this every day. Sometimes the bus would be like 50 feet away from the park and going up to like 80 (or) 90 miles per hour.

“They don’t have a chance to stop. The bus would actually go on two wheels and every day we have to be so careful watching these buses go through here. Morning and evening, everyday. This here was just bound to happen. So that’s why we are really not surprised about it.”

Another resident, who did not want to be identified, raised concern about children in the area that are at risk of serious injury due to the convoy’s dangerous speeds.

“It passes the school where the young children have to cross over by the park. Then we have the cotton trees dropping the little buds in the road it makes it very slippery. So I think they need to reduce the speed when they get in this area.”

While several Fox Hill residents expressed anger that the prison convoy makes the area unsafe as it passes, Inspector Carlos Mitchell of the Road Traffic Division, said it is a custom that an outrider clears the way. He said he could not say if speed was a factor in the incident.

“I can’t say. We are still gathering all of the physical evidence to determine exactly what has transpired here,” Inspector Mitchell said.

“We have not yet received complaints of (speeding) that would cause a level of concern for the  police department. But we are always looking at ways that we can safely transport persons in custody that will be safe to members of the public and also to police officers.”

He advised motorists to yield and pull to the side when police sirens are on.

Prison Superintendent Patrick Wright said the convoy travels at speeds safe to motorists and those on board the bus.

Investigations continue.