A young Bermudian has become the island's seventh road fatality of the year.
Eric Berkeley Jr., 20, is thought to have lost control of his motorbike on North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish, on Tuesday night. He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead shortly after midnight.
According to one of his friends, Mr. Berkeley was a former CedarBridge Academy and Whitney Institute student. He had been studying and living in Spain with his mother and had been back on the island for about two weeks.
His father still lives in Bermuda with his younger sister.
The friend told us: "I'm still in shock. He was a good person. He liked to crack jokes and he liked the girls. Every time he saw me he was smiling."
A police statement released this afternoon listed the details of the accident.
It said: "At 10:55pm on Tuesday, police attended a reported serious single vehicle road traffic collision on North Shore Road in Hamilton parish near the junction with East Point Lane. It appears that a motorcycle was traveling west on North Shore Road when the rider, a 20 year-old Hamilton parish man, lost control. The cycle went off the road and ended up under a palm tree on the northern side of the road."
It continued: "The victim was found lying face down in the eastbound lane. A police officer at the scene and a nurse, who happened to be driving by the location shortly after the collision, gave the 20 year- old Hamilton parish man CPR until the paramedics arrived. He was then rushed to KEMH via ambulance; however, he was subsequently pronounced dead at 12:15am on Wednesday by an on call physician."
Police are appealing for any witnesses to contact PC Errol Peterkin on 295-0011. The Bermuda Police Service extends its sincere condolences to the family & friends of the deceased."
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, May 31, 2007
Comment by:
SUZANNE
I BELEIVE THE REASONS FOR 75 PERCENT OF THESE FATALITIES ARE
NOT JUST ALCOHOL AND DRUGS. I BELEIVE THE STREET LIGHTS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE.
THE LIGHTS ARE VERY VERY DIM AND IF YOU ARE INTOXICATED IT JUST MAKES IT WORSE FOR VISIBILITY.
ALSO EVERY ROAD HAS A PATCH OR POT HOLES SOMEONE IS CUTTING MONEY SOMEWHERE.
IT WAS SAID IN THE PAST THAT RESIDENTS WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE STREET LIGHTS SHINING IN THEIR WINDOW AT NIGHT AND IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO SLEEP AT NIGHT BUT HOW DO YOU THINK THE PARENTS SLEEP AT NIGHT NOW THAT THEIR CHILDREN HAVE PAST AWAY.
LOOK AT SOUND VIEW ROAD NEAR THE END THERE IS A HOUSE ON THE CORNER THAT HAS A HUMP IN THE ROAD DUE TO A TREE ROOT OR SOMETHING AND WHEN YOU GO OVER YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD GRIP OR YOU CAN HIT THE WALL.THE WALL HAS BEEN REPAIRED MANY TIMES THE ROAD STAYS THE SAME.... CRAZY
AND I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE ACCIDENTS IS DUE CARE BUT MOST I BELEIVE IS DUE CARE ON OUR PART
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOST
THEIR LOVED ONES.
