One killed in two-car crash in George Town

| 17/10/2021 | 91 Comments
Vehicles are removed from the crash scene

(CNS) UPDATED: The man killed on Saturday evening in what appears to be a head-on collision on South Church Street has been identified as 37-year-old Carlos Luyang Patricio of the Philippines, who lived and worked in Cayman for a local auto-company. The other four people hurt in the two-car smash remain in hospital in serious but stable condition.

The crash is under investigation by the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit and anyone with information is asked to contact them at 649-6254 or the George Town Police Station at 949-4222.

Original Story posted Sunday: One man is dead and at least three more people have been badly injured following a collision on Saturday evening involving two cars and five people on South Church Street, George Town. Police have now cleared the road after working through the night to rescue the victims and then piece together what happened. The fatal collision of a Toyota and a Kia was reported at around 8pm close to Parsons Circle. Fire crews attended the scene and extricated the occupants of the vehicles.

One vehicle had two occupants while the other had three, and all five people were transported to hospital by ambulance. One man was pronounced dead by the attending doctor.

What appears to have been a head-on crash is now being investigated by the police but no other official details about the smash have been released.

The unnamed victim is the eighth person to be killed on Cayman’s roads this year. According to the latest statistics from the RCIPS released at the end of September, on average 225 motor vehicle collisions are being reported to the police each month.


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Comments (91)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    If the experience of the UK and USA are reliable guides, the installation of traffic and speed cameras would greatly reduce speeding, accidents and fatalities. I strongly urge our government to institute a pilot programme using speed cameras at the stretches of road on which speed demons fly.

  2. Anonymous says:

    South Sound roadway past Walkers Road is not for the timid but far too often I am following a driver doing between 15 (if cornering is involved) and 20 mph in order to navigate the narrow road with walls, fences, condos and at times bikers and walkers on either side. I often wonder why these drivers who are going into town or returning don’t take Walker’s Road which is wide and straight with little to worry about? They hold up traffic and make passing extremely difficult if not impossible to do safely.

    • Anonymous says:

      Not for the timid? Lol. I wonder how some of you people would cope on a UK/European NSL B Road or autoroute/bahn.

  3. Anonymous says:

    I live Spotts and mostly be in west bay at night, I usually heads back home kinda late but the roads to avoid at night are West Bay Rd all the way down to South Sound, Crewe Rd and Shamrock Rd. Basically all two lane roads. Avoid them at all cost!

  4. Anonymous says:

    I got passed on the ETH by a DEH garbage truck that was doing at least 75mph. Why not put speed limiters on CIG vehicles?

  5. Anonymous says:

    I’ve written in here several times over the last few months how South Church Street leading into South Sound Road has become a race track for people and that the police etc need to get some traffic soothing measures installed ( ie speed humps) and also do regular radar speed checking along the stretch to catch some of these hooligans.
    More people are going to get killed- many walkers/children in that area.

    • Anonymous says:

      I am actually surprised there haven’t been more deaths along South Church Street and South Sound Road, especially with so many people using it to bike/walk/jog and idiot drivers going twice the posted speed limit. Unless the police get off their butts and do something, there will be more deaths. But the police seem uninterested.

      • Anonymous says:

        Add the Main Street through Bodden Town to the list of dangerous stretches of road. I have for years said that if the police sat at the Coe Wood beach in a speed car every day, radar pointing east and west, they would collect dozens of speeders, both truckers ( especially) and ordinary vehicles. But they prefer to sit in BT police station. You can see their cars parked outside doing nothing, nada, zilch, zero.

      • A Retired Chief says:

        We need better police personnel……. and we need a better Chief of Police to see that they are doing their best to ENFORCE THE LAW! Problem solved!

        How hard is that?

    • Anonymous says:

      Speed humps are needed. People will stil get queries they need on time

    • Anonymous says:

      I’ve lived here for almost 40 years. South Church Street has always been like that. There are roads in cayman that have been popular with speeders and racers (locals and foreigners) since the 70s and still are like queens highway. IMO the main changes are there are more people on the road not necessarily that the driving has gotten any better or worse. I’m pretty sure if Cayman had a legitimate track that some of these speed demons would drive more civilized on the public roads. Probably not though. People like to drive fast out here for some reason.

      The drunk driving is a whole other issue.☹️

  6. resident since 1972 says:

    The cause of this accident can only be excessive speeding by one of the vehicles involved. I have regularly jog along S. Church St and regularly see maniacs driving well over 60mph, now most of my run avoids this road it is simply too dangerous.

    • Anonymous says:

      I see drivers and motorbikes doing 60mph plus on this stretch of road daily and drivers recklessly overtaking other cars. There are many dog walkers and people exercising who are placing themselves in danger due to the wanton recklessness of drivers. Be safe!

    • Anonymous says:

      Definitely. I was driving home mid-evening, not late, obeying the speed limit, and a car blasted past me right by Smith Cove. Two people chatting by the side of the road had to jump backwards.

      • Anonymous says:

        The police should set up DUI checkpoints in that area. Massive amounts of alcohol are consumed there

    • Anonymous says:

      Nonsense. The cause of a head on accident can only have been one or both cars not being in their own lane. It may well be that excessive speed lead to that but it is not the only possibility at all. Even if one car was speeding it may well have been caused by the other car on the phone for example. Speculating without any evidence is ridiculous.

  7. A.J. says:

    Distracted driving causes accidents every day. put down the damn phone.

    • Anonymous says:

      Excessive speeding and reckless driving is to blame too

    • Anonymous says:

      Cops should confiscate and on the spot destroy phones seen to be in use by drivers. Caught using your phone while driving? say goodbye to all ya pictures, contacts and unpublished Tik-Toks, and hello Flow Galleria…

  8. Anonymous says:

    Standard of driving is appalling in Cayman. Not sure what the fix is.

    I was on this road on Sunday around 3pm and a women, who was either on her phone or drunk, drifted across coming straight towards me before swerving back again.

    • Anonymous says:

      South Sound Road should be closed to through traffic

    • Anonymous says:

      They need to mandate European standard driving tests for all caymanians and non European expats. Even the driving instructors and police don’t indicate properly or obey the road rules. It is shocking that the volume of accidents in cayman statistically is third world and hundreds times higher than countries like the uk for example.

    • Anonymous says:

      That happens all the time. People on their phones.

  9. Slow Traffic Keep LEFT! says:

    The right hand lanes of the Esterley Tibbets and Linford Pierson Highways are passing lanes people. If you’re in the right hand lane, and you’re doing 30 MPH, YOU ARE THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM! You can drive 30 MPH all you want folks. Just do it in the left lane please! Thank you.

    • Anonymous says:

      That 30 seconds later that you arrive at your destination is THAT important to you.
      Idiot.

      • Anonymous says:

        I think they are just pointing out another common problem with people not driving correctly, lane discipline doesn’t exist here even ‘tho the law says it should. Driving in the wrong lane, speeding, texting, they all are wrong, no distinction between them in terms of bad driving.

    • Anonymous says:

      I dont see too many people going 30 on those roads. The problem is you are probably doing 50.

      If Im going 40, Im not moving from the right hand lane.

      • Anonymous says:

        And you are part of the problem numbskull smh

      • Anonymous says:

        It’s 30max along South Church St and we drive on the left. Maybe the seasonal Traffic Dept could redeploy themselves to sort out this deadly confusion. Are we still paying them?!?

      • Beach Cleaner says:

        Absolutely agree. The speed limit is 40 – the only need to overtake is if the person in the left lane is travelling under that. I regularly drive along the Spotts Straight with cars driving 65 – 70 (or more) in the right hand lane. No need for that at all.

      • Anonymous says:

        You are an idiot. Get in the left lane

    • Anonymous says:

      And what about the people who are driving the speed limit and maybe a little more than that in the right land who have to contend with the idiots going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. Should they have to get out of the way so other can flagrantly break the law?

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes. Move over. You’re in the wrong lane. You’re in no position to criticise others for speeding, when you’re driving so poorly yourself.

    • Anonymous says:

      One of the problems is that people visiting here from drive-on-the-right locales are used to the right lane being the slow-go lane and drive here accordingly.

  10. Elizabeth says:

    I travel on South Church Street almost daily, and was on my way home Saturday evening when I encountered the roadblock before the emergency teams arrived. That road definitely needs to be widened especially in the areas where walls are jutting out bordering the road. There are also areas where the road narrows and slopes down a foot which can cause someone to lose control of the car. Additionally, coming out onto South Church St. from most of the side roads is dangerous because of the blind sights. Forget about being a pedestrian there unless you have a death wish. Same goes for cyclists. In short, the road needs to be redesigned or impediments need to be added for the safety of both pedestrians and motorists.

    • Anonymous says:

      But driving the speed limit and paying attention can eliminate any of those issues you said.

      • Anonymous says:

        Speed limit is just a number and has little to do with safe driving; driving at an appropriate speed for the conditions might mean doing 20 at night in heavy rain or 40 in broad daylight. Dumbing down safe driving to a number is not going to improve things here much. Proper testing would but that ain’t ever going to happen.

        • Anonymous says:

          100 percent correct! The maximum posted limit is based on ideal conditions. Way too many drivers have too much faith in their abilities and equipment and are placing others in danger daily here, but nothing will be done. This is just another blip in the news cycle. We will all move onto the next story instead of demanding change to the dangers of driving here!

    • Anonymous says:

      I don’t think you’ve got enough room on those older roads even if you could take in some yards to handle the density of traffic which includes cars, bikes and pedestrians. I’d say make South Church Street and Walker’s Road one way roads, with the roads between them serving as connectors. Then you get a large circular road system which would allow you to get decent vehicle/cycle/pedestrian lanes on each one. If the traffic can flow smoother it makes up for the increase in volume of vehicles. (Two lanes south on Walker’s Road, one lane north on South Church Street leading into Town.) And by being safer more people can use bicycle or walk the road. (Busses soon come in this master plan. 🙂

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s unlikely they can widen the road as there’s no land – it’s all peoples gardens. It would be easier if people were asked to not have block walls right on the road – or curve them so residents can see what’s coming without having to get right out in the road. Remember most of those walls were built in the days before people were driving around like madmen. If you notice, the little cemetery on the corner of Eden and South Ch. St. regularly gets hit by drunken drivers because it actually does stick right out in the road. The insanity there is that it gets repaired every time – on exactly the same footprint as before. Although I do believe that it hasn’t been repaired at all since the last hit.

      The height of the road – where you rightly say you can fall or drive off, comes about from successive resurfacing which builds up the road surface.

  11. Last Zion says:

    The standard of driving in the Cayman Islands is atrocious. There is no lane discipline, roundabout are a lottery and on the weekend it seems that every other driver is drunk. Some of these things can be “cured” by education and policing but the lack of personal responsibility is shocking.. People will continue to die on our roads unless something is done.. The first thing i would do is make the driving test mandatory and harder… It’s a joke…

    • Anonymous says:

      Lack of enforcement is the biggest problem. How is it I can drive from EE to GT and back and every time see a dozen or more blatant and dangerous violations and almost never see anyone pulled over.

      • Anon says:

        Because the police are lazy and incompetent. There should be hunderds of tickets a week and in the 20s drunk drivers EVERY weekend. There should be a program of education via media in how to drive. Cars without license or insurance should be seized and crushed.

      • Anonymous says:

        This. Tailgating, speeding and DUI is an endemic here. Maybe RCIPS should try what some law enforcement agencies do in the USA and rigidly enforce the traffic laws for a few months with severe penalties.

    • Anonymous says:

      You’re absolutely right 8:51, and it’s unlikely to change with law enforcement or voluntary education. Just this weekend on two different occasions I had a car accelerate and cut across me in a roundabout and witnessed a truck overtake and cut in on a jeep on a main road in what looked like purposely colliding with the jeep front wheel. Dash cams and name & shame ? We aren’t being left with a great deal else.

      • Anonymous says:

        You’re correct. A massive traffic enforcement program should begin today. Penalize the tailgaiters, speeders, drunks, and reckless people on the roads now!

    • Anonymous says:

      So far today, I have witnessed a guy rolling through a stop sign, a delivery truck pulling out into oncoming traffic with no regard for opposing traffic, illegal parking with people exiting onto the roadway, swerving and driving while staring at a phone, and being passed by a fully loaded lumber company truck well over the speed limit. The blatant disregard for the traffic laws here is endangering the lives of innocent people daily.

      They dont care and they know nothing will be done to stop them.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Put in Speed Bumps NOW!! This is avoidable!

  13. Anonymous says:

    I can’t believe South Church Street still hasn’t been fixed – expanded and bike lanes and side walks added etc. This was completely avoidable.

    • Anonymous says:

      The amount of recklessness from drivers on this road would still drive like maniacs because there are no consequences

  14. Anonymous says:

    Still nothing changes.

    Since driver education isn’t a thing, and it doesn’t look like changing soon, then traffic calming measures need to be implemented. Ones that force vehicles to drive slowly. Be it camera enforcement, lane narrowing, speed bumps. Literally anything is better than the terrible driving, terrible vehicles and terrible roads.

    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe the insurance companies could help? Offer discounts to safe drivers if they allow an installation of a system to monitor driving habits.I believe this is common in the USA

  15. Anonymous says:

    No police. More deaths.

    • Anonymous says:

      Errr not really. If you need a police state to ensure you drive well, then you shouldn’t have a vehicle.

      • Anonymous says:

        Don’t need more police. Just need the ones here to do their job.

        • Miss Ebanks says:

          To be fair to the Police, some take pride in their job. This weekend I had a very positive experience with a white officer in the Bodden Town area. I can’t remember his name, he was English or Irish. I remember thinking to myself after I wish all the Police could operate like this guy. He was friendly, polite and very professional how he dealt with me, even though I was in the wrong. For the record I am not pro Police as I’ve also had bad experiences with Police.

      • Anonymous says:

        I follow the rules but the majority here don’t. Police need to do their job.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Condolences to the family and friends of the person who passed away. Hope for speedy recovery of those who are injured.

    That whole stretch of the road from South Church Street till end of South Sound Road is so narrow, with certain intersections blind or just dangerous. I do not know what happened in this case, but some people just speed on these narrow roads, and many overtake those who drive at the legal speed. What s the rush that people cannot have patience for a couple minutes. Which destination are they heading to? Leave home a few minutes early factoring in delays on the road.

    Every human being’s final destination is Death – why are some people in a rush to reach there!!

    Would it be possible for the government to do any or all of the following :

    – put several speed bumps throughout that whole stretch of the road
    – reduce speed limit
    – put medians wherever possible throughout this stretch
    – change the way roads intersect so they are no more blind or dangerous

    • Anonymous says:

      If you think the road is too narrow then you probably shouldn’t have a driving license. Anywhere else on the planet besides the USA that road is a perfectly normal width road. The roads in Cayman are excellent by any global standard, it’s the standard of driving that is terrible.

    • Anonymous says:

      I happen to agree with everything said here, but the ultimate solution is to just remove the idiots from the road that are causing the problems. South Sound is already 30 mph, cant go lower otherwise we will be walking. Speed bumps are a No Go on a main road as they will hamper Ambulance, Police & Fire rescue response time. Good drivers far out-weight the bad , we just need to deal with the bad.

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s also incredibly frustrating to find yourself behind someone driving at 15 mph on S Church St…. which also causes some people to overtake.

      • Anonymous says:

        The speed limit is 30 MPH, meaning anyone driving less than the maximum is doing the right thing. When I am driving less than the speed limit, I am tailgaited for miles by reckless drivers. Speed limits are based on perfectly dry roads and optimal driving conditions on said road. There is no reason to speed here.

        • Anonymous says:

          Wrong actually – you would fail your driving test in the UK for driving in perfect conditions at 15mph in a 30mph zone and thereby holding up traffic.

          • Anonymous says:

            You should check on what a speed limit is based on. It is the maximum safe speed drive on that roadway. Slow down, enjoy the drive and be courteous to pedestrians, cyclists, and pets. Be Cayman Kind

            • Anonymous says:

              No it isn’t. It’s just a nice round number that 40 years ago someone thought sounded about right; the “maximum safe speed” on narrow South Church St with lots of junctions and no sidewalk is not the same as South Sound Rd which is almost twice as wide, has fewer junctions and has a sidewalk yet they share the same 30 limit.

        • Anonymous says:

          Wrong. Get off the road.

        • Anonymous says:

          Incorrect.

  17. Anonymous says:

    Very sad, people please be careful driving in the roads.

  18. Anonymous says:

    8 on the roads. 0 from the ‘rona.

  19. Anonymous says:

    In a 30 mph speed limit zone , despite which , I hope the accident victims make a speedy recovery.

    • Anonymous says:

      Even if the cars are driving at 25 to 30mph, head on you’re looking at a 50/60mph to 0mph deceleration. That’s a violence to the human body a lot of drivers here cannot imagine, judging by the standards seen. Combine that with the absolute heaps on the road, the commonplace not wearing of seatbelts, and unfortunately you have a lot of terrible accidents.

      • Anonymous says:

        Common myth, but no. If both vehicles are travelling at the same speed, and are of similiar size, a head on is no different than running into a brick wall, still 30 to zero. It’s your speed that is relevant, you are travelling at 30mph and come to a complete stop. Mythbusters did an episode on it if you can find it.

        • Anonymous says:

          It is also basic math, the vehicles need to “share” the force of the impact. Otherwise it would somehow be doubling the force if both vehicles felt a 60mph impact.

      • Anonymous says:

        GCSE physics fail.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Very sad regardless of where you are from and who you are

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