Barbados was struck by a devastating sequence of events on Sunday afternoon as two separate fatal road collisions occurred within a mere thirty-minute span, sending waves of grief through the communities of St Philip and Christ Church.
The first tragedy unfolded at approximately 3:45 p.m. along Crane Road, St Philip. Roland Arthur, a 30-year-old man described by loved ones as possessing immense promise, was riding his bicycle in the direction of Rices when he collided with a van. Despite emergency response efforts, Arthur sustained catastrophic injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Preliminary police reports indicate both vehicles were traveling in the same direction prior to the impact. Investigations into the precise circumstances remain active.
Merely minutes earlier, at around 3:18 p.m., a second fatal incident had occurred at the junction of Searles Road and Leadvale in Christ Church. This collision involved a motorcycle and a van. The motorcyclist, identified as 54-year-old Edzii Edinboro of Bottom Bay, St Philip, was urgently transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He subsequently succumbed to his injuries, marking the island’s second road fatality in under an hour.
The human toll of these events was poignantly articulated by Clifton “Frankie” Franklyn, who served as a father figure to Roland Arthur. Overcome with emotion outside his Crane home, Franklyn memorialized Arthur as ‘the son I never had,’ highlighting his recent employment at the airport and his aspirations to pursue basketball abroad. ‘He was a very bright boy, very good with his hands… All people through here can tell that he was nothing but good,’ Franklyn recounted, detailing the profound personal loss he feels. He recalled his last interaction with Arthur just a day prior to the accident, a moment now overshadowed by tragedy. Arthur, who leaves behind no children, is remembered as a respectful and quietly ambitious individual whose potential was tragically cut short.