Death of Officer O’Neil Hamilton ruled an accident | RJR News

By Kimone Witter

The Court of Inquiry has ruled that the death of Officer O’Neil Hamilton, who was hit by a truck on November 25, 2022, was an accident.

The decision was announced on Wednesday.

Mr Hamilton was among four people, including two children, struck by the vehicle at the intersection of Eastwood Park Road and Burlington Avenue in St Andrew.

Lawyers Christopher Townsend and Chadwick Berry, who appeared at the inquest on behalf of Patricia Burth-Wright, the driver of the ill-fated truck, said on Wednesday that there were clearly mechanical problems that caused the accident and there was no human error.

After deliberation, the jury concluded that Mr Hamilton’s death was an accident.

In her testimony, Ms. Burth-Wright said she drove from the Brooklyn Supermarket toward Eastwood Park Road and as she turned onto the main road, she and her two assistants heard a loud hissing sound coming from the truck.

She tried unsuccessfully to apply the brakes.

Ms Burth-Wright said she maneuvered the truck onto the pavement to avoid a collision with a group of children, when Mr Hamilton was struck and pushed to the floor of the truck.

Mr Hamilton’s death was pronounced at Kingston Public Hospital.

Two days before the incident, Mr Hamilton was honoured for his 25 years of service at the Jamaica Civil Service Long Service Awards.