The investigation into the vehicular incident at Rock Gutter that resulted in the deaths of seven students is “almost complete”, six months after, police say.
Head of the Traffic Branch, Superintendent of Police Kenneth John, told I-Witness News on Tuesday that the investigating officer, Station Sergeant of Police Junior Nero, needs “less than a month” to put his findings together.
“It’s almost there,” John told I-Witness News.
Seven students died when a minibus careened down a hillside and into the sea at Rock Gutter on Jan. 12.
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The bodies of two of the students were not recovered.
Police have not disclosed the cause of deaths, but some relatives of the students say that death certificates issued to them say that they drowned.
John said that when the report is completed it will be forwarded to Commissioner of Police Michael Charles, who will advise on disclosure to the media and the public.
“I will seek the guidance of him in order to do that, … but my belief is that he will not object to it,” John told I-Witness News.
Almost six months after the Rock Gutter tragedy, three members of a Spring Village family died in Coulls Hill when the car in which they were travelling plunged over an embankment and landed on another section of the road hundreds of feet below on June 28.
John said police in Spring Village are investigating that incident and are being assisted by their colleagues in Kingstown.
He said initial findings suggest that these two incidents did not result from reckless driving, but said similar incidents can be avoided if drivers are “a little more cautious”.
“If it is where people are driving recklessly … then you will have fear, but they are where something is wrong with the vehicle; it may be a little faulty,” John told I-Witness News.
“And we are calling on persons before they use their vehicles, they must always carry out a check on their vehicles. Ensure that the steering is in good order, make sure they have proper brakes; do their usual checks and things like that,” John said.
He said all the particulars — licenses and insurance — of the vehicles and drivers involved in both incidents were in order.
Seven road incidents have resulted in 15 deaths in St. Vincent and the Grenadines so far this year.