Quindel Ames Victim of Hit and Run

Published on Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Christmas celebrations turned to tragedy last Saturday night as a 55-year-old woman was knocked down and killed in West Bay by a hit and run driver. Quindel Coleen Ames of Prospect Drive, George Town, was an accounts manager with the Health Services Authority (HSA). She had been attending an office party at Boatswain’s Beach and was hit by a car while using the pedestrian crossing outside the tourist attraction on North West Point Road. According to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS), at approximately 11:30 pm on Saturday, 15 December, the 911 Emergency Communications Centre received a call from a member of the public reporting that a woman had been knocked down by a car on the pedestrian crossing outside Boatswain’s Beach, North West Point Road, and the driver had not stopped. Police and an ambulance responded to the call, and Ms Ames was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Police officers investigating the death believe the car involved to be dark in colour and are actively seeking information on its whereabouts and that of the driver. It is also believed that the vehicle would have sustained front-end damage; police are asking local residents to keep a lookout for the damaged car and report anything they see to the police. The vehicle is understood to have been driven past Boatswain’s Beach before the accident and had turned round to head back along the road before the collision occurred. “We need to hear from anyone who has information in relation to this car,” said Investigating Officer, Inspector Adrian Barnett, adding, “If your friend, relative or neighbour returned home last night with front-end damage, please contact the police immediately. If you see a car abandoned with front-end damage - call the police immediately. We need to locate the driver as quickly as possible.” A major incident room has been established at the Traffic Management Unit and anyone with any information can call investigating officers on 946-6372 or 946-6254 or the Senior Investigating Officer, Chief Inspector Courtney Myles direct on 926-0649. A number of people were in the area at the time of the collision and the police are asking anyone who was there on Saturday night and who has not yet spoken to them to get in touch as soon as possible. All information received will be treated in confidence and the RCIPS are appealing for any member of the public wishing to pass on information, no matter how trivial they feel it may be, to contact them and help find the driver of the vehicle. Even before this incident, North West Point Road had been identified by the RCIPS as a road safety problem area. Officers had been operating speed and vehicle checks on the road along with regular deployments of the speed indicator sign. UPDATE: A 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and leaving the scene of an accident, following a fatal hit a run on Saturday, 15 December 2007, has been released on police bail pending further investigations. The man from West Bay was arrested on Tuesday, 18 December following the death of 55-year-old Quindel Coleen Ames, of George Town.