By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe says third-party insurance will cover any damages or loss of life if police are found at fault in a traffic collision in Grand Bahama that killed a woman.

He told The Tribune the police vehicle involved in Saturday’s crash had minimum third-party coverage, which includes property damage and bodily injury. If the officer is found responsible, the insurer — likely JS Johnson — will manage any resulting claims.

The fatal collision happened as officers were responding to a drowning call. Their patrol unit collided with another vehicle on Queen’s Highway. Althea Lashanda Mitchell, 30, was driving home from work. The impact mangled her vehicle, trapping her inside. Firefighters spent hours using hydraulic tools to recover her body. She died at the scene.

All officers in the patrol unit sustained injuries and were hospitalised.

Mr Munroe said a road traffic investigation is underway to determine liability. If warranted, charges will be filed and brought before the court.

He stressed that police are held to the same legal standards as civilians.

“There’s an ordinary investigation where they will come, they will photograph the scene, they will do a plan of the scene, and they will document their findings,” he said. “If there were people who were conscious on the scene, they would have interviewed them at the time and people were injured and taken to the hospital, they will interview them once they are able to be interviewed.”

When asked about compensation, Munroe said: “That’s the purpose of insurance. Insurance indemnifies a driver against any liability for the consequences of an accident.”

He added: “Third party insurance deals with repairing a car, paying if there’s injury, damages for pain, suffering, suffering, loss of amenity, and the usual damages for injury to the person. If there’s a fatal accident, it pays for loss of dependency. So it just steps and whatever judgment the court would render on the driver, the insurer then steps in and pays.”

Ms Mitchell’s family voiced outrage at the emergency response time, saying she remained trapped in the wreckage for nearly five hours.

Mr Munroe said he had no information on how long it took to extricate her body.