The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda has launched a full investigation into a deadly road traffic collision that unfolded on the island’s Pares Main Road on the evening of Monday, November 2, claiming the lives of two local residents. The official public advisory, issued by the force’s Strategic Communications Office on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, out of St. John’s, confirms the two deceased victims have been identified as 36-year-old Sherwin Harding, a resident of Skerritts Pasture, and three-year-old Janae Browne. According to preliminary on-scene assessments, the incident took place at roughly 7:50 p.m. near the Welch Supermarket premises, involving a grey Toyota Vitz operated by Harding. Law enforcement preliminary accounts indicate the vehicle was traveling westbound along Pares Main Road when Harding initiated an overtaking manoeuvre to pass another moving vehicle. Mid-overtake, the driver spotted an oncoming vehicle approaching in the opposite lane, prompting him to steer sharply back to his original travel lane to avoid a catastrophic head-on impact. The sudden steering adjustment caused Harding to lose complete control of the compact Toyota, which first crashed into a perimeter fence and concrete wall lining the southern edge of the roadway, before spinning across the asphalt and coming to a final stop in the middle of the thoroughfare. First responders arrived on site within minutes, but attending medical personnel pronounced both Harding and the young child Janae Browne dead at the scene, with their injuries deemed unsurvivable immediately following the impact. Two additional passengers who were inside the Vitz at the time of the crash, identified as Rashima Moore and three-year-old Jahcari Browne, were rushed to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre by emergency medical teams for urgent care. As of the force’s media release, both injured parties are listed in stable condition and are receiving ongoing clinical support. The senior leadership of the Royal Police Force issued a public statement extending their deepest, heartfelt condolences to the grieving families, friends and communities of the two deceased victims, acknowledging the profound pain of the sudden, unforeseen loss. Simultaneously, the force has issued a renewed public safety appeal to every motorist navigating Antigua and Barbuda’s road network, urging all drivers to adopt heightened levels of caution and personal responsibility behind the wheel. Officials specifically warned against reckless overtaking manoeuvres, stressed strict adherence to posted speed limits, and reminded all road users to maintain full, undistracted attention to their surroundings at all times to prevent future preventable fatal crashes. Investigators are now collecting witness statements, reviewing physical evidence from the crash site, and conducting follow-up inquiries to establish a full, verified account of all factors that contributed to the fatal collision.
Police say two survivors of fatal Pares Main Road crash are in stable condition
