By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Staff Reporter

dmayock@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS of East Grand Bahama are demanding a stronger police presence and urgent safety upgrades along the Grand Bahama Highway after a deadly weekend crash claimed the lives of two men and left a woman seriously injured.

The victims — Christopher Smith, a chef at The Garden of the Groves, and Mozen Selemfort, a boat captain at Statoil — died at the scene early Saturday morning after their vehicles collided on the highway between 6am and 6.30am. Smith’s sister, Roseleen Judy Smith, who was driving the Chrysler they were in, was critically injured and remains in stable condition at the Rand Memorial Hospital. Police said Mr Selemfort’s white Honda veered into the opposite lane and collided with Ms Smith’s car.

The crash has intensified calls for better traffic control as residents link a surge in speeding, overtaking, and reckless driving to the recent opening of Celebration Key. They say traffic has soared since the cruise port began operations, transforming the once-quiet eastern stretch of the highway into a high-risk zone.

Freetown resident Glenroy Cooper said the situation has grown increasingly dangerous. “I do have a lot of concern. I’ve been living here all my life, and since this new port opened, you have persons coming into the area and they have no regard for themselves and others,” he said.

He said drivers frequently overtake at high speeds, particularly in the early morning, creating panic for local motorists. “My wife is even afraid to drive me to Freeport now because of how motorists are overtaking. There’s no regard at all.”

Mr Cooper said police patrols at peak hours could deter reckless driving. “They need more police presence in the area. Around 6.00 in the morning, if a traffic car goes there with its lights on, people will be more cautious. Once they see police monitoring, they will slow down,” he said.

The tragedy hit especially close to home for Mr Cooper, who revealed that his nephew, Christopher Smith, was one of the men killed in the crash. “I had to run off the road on three different occasions going into Freeport. Cars come right on you, and there’s nothing you can do but pull off. You could be right, but you could be dead,” he said.

Another Freetown resident, McDonald Cooper, said the incident brought back painful memories of losing his wife in a similar accident 25 years ago on the same highway. “I feel very bad because I had a wife who got killed in a car accident, a similar type of accident, just about three miles east of where Celebration Key is now. It was like déjà vu,” he said.

He said traffic from Celebration Key has created severe safety challenges during morning and evening rush hours. “From High Rock all the way into Freeport, especially in the mornings and evenings, there’s a serious concern. These motorists overtake and drive with high beam lights — sometimes you have to stop or run off the road,” he said.

He also complained that heavy equipment and dump trucks from nearby industrial sites often speed through residential zones. “We have children and people living right on the main road. There’s no kind of consideration. The police need to come out East and start writing these people up. Once that happens, the whole attitude will change,” he said.

While he praised the installation of cat eyes on the highway, he said glare from high beams and neon lights makes driving treacherous. “You can’t even see the cat eyes because you’re blinded by the lights. Those blue and neon lights are against regulations. The police need to deal with that,” he said.

Freddy Laing Jr, District Superintendent for the Zion United Baptist Convention and a resident of East End, said road lighting and maintenance are urgently needed. “It is rather unfortunate and heartbreaking what happened on Saturday morning. But one of the major concerns is that the road is very dark at night,” he said.

He added that proper lighting was never restored after Hurricane Dorian, making night-time driving hazardous. “We need more lighting in the entire East Grand Bahama area,” he said.

Mr Laing said the opening of Celebration Key has also brought unusual traffic congestion during early hours. “From around 4 or 5am now, there’s traffic. We never had traffic like that before. So yes, we need more police presence, and motorists need to drive with more due care and attention,” he said.

He urged authorities to address potholes and improve visibility along the highway. “Lighting is crucial. Motorists must be more courteous and look out for each other,” he added.

Saturday’s crash pushed the national traffic fatality count to 53 for the year.