By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net 

PHILLIPA Christie, sister of the three Chris- tie brothers who died in a car crash last September, is now facing unimaginable grief again after her eldest son, 18-year-old Jimmy “JJ” Johnson, was killed in a traffic accident in Andros on Sunday night.

Jimmy’s death comes less than a year after Ms Christie lost her brothers — Philip McCarron Christie, 24, Philip D’Caprio Christie, 23, and D’Angelo Christie, 20 — in a crash on Sir Milo Butler Highway. 

Police said the teen died following a two-car collision shortly after 9pm in Andros Town. When officers arrived, they found two injured men in one of the vehicles. Medical personnel pronounced Jimmy dead at the scene. The second man was taken to the local clinic and later airlifted to New Providence; his condition remains unknown. 

Ms Christie described Jimmy, who would have turned 19 on July 17, as a loving, respectful young man with a passion for fishing and diving. 

He had completed a diving course and was described as a “people’s person, happy, loving and respectful.” 

“Not a day goes by my three children never passed without saying ‘Mommy. I love you’. I could always say that for them and wherever he go in the community, persons actually liked him,” Ms Christie told The Tribune in an emotional interview yesterday. 

She also spoke candidly about her son’s struggles and his efforts to turn his life around. Ms Christie said Jimmy had trouble finding steady work due to the stigma of past mistakes, which left him discouraged. 

“I’m not going to sit here on the phone and tell you lies. My son was into things, like he stole thing but no major thing, he never kills anyone, it’s just like he was stained,” she said yesterday. 

She said he had briefly worked security at a hotel but was never called back, and repeated setbacks had dampened his spirit. Jimmy often said being idle led to poor decisions and that he wanted to stay busy to stay out of trouble. Ms Christie recalled one of her final conversations with Jimmy on the day of the crash: “He was telling me in the room - ‘Mommy I want to change, I want to change my life. I want a job’.”
Now preparing for another funeral, Ms Christie said she is trying to stay strong for her other children. 

Speaking of the pain of losing him and the challenges of coping, she said: “It’s hard, but I trying to cope with it because, you know, you have other things to do. Like to try put a whole funeral service together, to try hold my head for my other kids. That’s basically like the head of the family from even before this happened.” 

Having endured multiple family tragedies, she believes her faith is being tested, saying: “God has actually been putting me to the test and trying to try me out.” 

She also expressed frustration over the lack of emergency medical resources on the Family Islands, urging the government to do more.

“My first question would be, why is it that the persons living on the Family Island have to pay for the emergency flight, when there is no medical facility here,” she added.”Things could have turned out differently, even for the next gentleman who got in the accident. They had to wait and then the air ambulance didn’t move because they didn’t pay the money. They don’t move until you pay something. Why we have to pay for it if they know there’s no suitable resources.”