Portland accident - driver returns to court
Published:Tuesday | February 24, 2009 | 8:43 AM
The driver of the truck, which overturned claiming the lives of 14 persons on December 19 in Portland, is to re-appear in the Buff Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court today.
Christopher Devon Clarke, 31, a mechanic of Boundbrook in the parish, had his bail reduced when he last appeared in court on January 14.
Defence attorney, Carl McDonald pleaded with the court to have his client’s bail reduced claiming that Clarke was unable to take up the earlier offer due to financial constraints.
The attorney’s plea was accepted by Resident Magistrate Marjorie Moisten, who reduced Clarke’s bail to $300,000 down from $1million.
Clarke, who was slapped with five charges including 14 counts of manslaughter, was on the run for 10 days following the tragic accident.
He however turned himself in to the Port Antonio police on December 29, accompanied by his attorney.
14 people including a 10 year old boy died in the accident after a market truck transporting vendors to the Coronation market in Kingston, plunged over a precipice at Dam Bridge in the Rio Grande valley.