Dec. 27, 2007 — Two St. Thomas men died Thursday when a Centerline Concrete truck overturned on a Virgin Grand Estates road, located off Gifft Hill Road and inland from the Westin Resort and Villas.
"It's a sad situation. My condolences go out to the family," St. John Administrator Leona Smith said.
The accident happened sometime around noon: Smith said it occurred at 11:45 a.m. but a Government House press release put the time at 12:30 p.m.
The bodies of the men, who have not been identified pending notification of their families, were trapped in the truck for several hours. The driver was an employee of Centerline Concrete and the other victim was employed by BCCI Concrete Pumping Services.
Smith said the driver was "reversing backward" but the road was slippery. She said the truck slipped on moss growing on the road, which resembles brick and wends its way through a residential area where houses are under construction.
According to Government House, the truck careened off an embankment and flipped on its side, crushing the truck's cabin. The two victims were pinned in the wreckage.
“The truck was reversing down a steep, wet roadway en route to deliver a load of concrete at a construction site when the truck slipped over an embankment and flipped,” Deputy Police Chief Darren Foy said. “All attempts were made to rescue the two men and sustain their lives, but their injuries were extensive.”
Police Chief Rodney Querrard said that a piece of heavy equipment was brought in to right the truck so the victims could be removed.
No one could be reached at Centerline Concrete for comment.
Querrard said the accident is under investigation by the Police Department's Traffic Division.
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