Two-year-old killed in two-car smash up

St. Kitts Nevis: Two-year-old Janiah Johnson, was killed last night in a two-car smash up on the Kim Collins Highway that sent her parents and another adult to the hospital, according to the St. Kitts Nevis Observer report.

Janiah was traveling in motorcar P1714 with her parents Boris and Alexia Johnson, of Parray's Village, when there was a collision with motor car PA1436 carrying Kino "Kinnie" Liburd from Lodge Village.

According to a release from the Traffic Department, the accident occurred at about 19:10hrs. The released statement said, "Investigations revealed that PA1436 was traveling towards the airport when it collided with P1714 which was traveling in the opposite direction. Both vehicles were extensively damaged. Both drivers sustained lacerations and bruises about their bodies as well as the front seat passenger of P1714, Alexia Johnson. A two year old child Janiah Johnson, who was also a passenger in P1714 sustained head and stomach injuries and died at the JNF Hospital around 11:00 p.m. The adults are in Hospital in stable condition. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death."

The Observer said the toddler was reportedly removed from the vehicle and rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle while emergency workers struggled to get her father free from the wrecked car. Two ambulances transported the remaining accident victims to the hospital. Pieces of glass and metal debris were strewn across the bypass road.

Officers from the traffic department and EMS were forced to work in almost pitch-black conditions, as the Highway has no street lights. Passers-by used flashlights and vehicle lights to assist with illuminating the crash site.

The Observer stated that Janiah was to have celebrated her third birthday on Thursday. She became the federation’s first road fatality for 2012.

Early morning inquiries revealed that the toddler's mother, Alexia, suffered a broken hand, her father, Borin, sustained serious neck injuries, and Liburd suffered a fractured leg. According to the Traffic Department, investigations into the accident are ongoing. So far there has been no indication of what caused the crash.