Outrage after mother killed in Spanish Town crash

Janet Wilson was returning from the doctor with her daughter when she was mowed down by a taxi driver in Spanish Town, St Catherine last Saturday.

The incident, which was captured on CCTV, has sent shock waves throughout their Jobs Lane community. The family said that the public nature of the incident has made grieving even more difficult, with details spreading quickly online.

"The family barely had any privacy to grieve. It is all over. It is a hot death, a very hot death," a relative said. "Sometimes it is social media that makes you know that your family died."

Grief hangs heavy over the community as Wilson's threen children struggle to come to terms with a loss. For those watching from the outside, the pain is just as difficult to bear.

"It's hard to watch them grieve. It's very hard because their mother was a good woman," one relative said.

Residents gathered in silence on Sunday night in the community to pay tribute.

"Everybody was here. There was no music, just silence," the relative recalled. "Everybody just talked and paid their tribute."

Another resident, known as Uncle Cecil, sat quietly on his bicycle, still in disbelief as he reflected on Wilson's presence in the area.

"God do everything best, but it hurt me," he said softly. "Any time Janet deh yah so, always say 'Uncle Cecil!' My girl that."

In the meantime, a wave of anger is building in the community as residents are determined that the man accused of mowing her down should face the long arm of the law.

Outrage intensified after the accused, a 47-year-old man, was released on bail.

"We should be protesting because we want justice," a close family member said during a visit to the tight-knit community, where sorrow still lingers.

Some of the neighbours also expressed disappointment with the decision to grant the driver bail.

"Mi upset about it, and at this point all a we fi protest and block the road. There is no way he is out on bail," said one resident who gave his name as John.

For Wilson's family, grief is now intertwined with financial strain as they consider legal action.

"In order to get justice, we have to get a lawyer but, with funeral plans, it's not affordable," the relative said. "The justice system can easily fail us."

"The reality of it take time to kick in, little by little," she added.