The first traffic fatality in more than a year on St. John occurred sometime early Thursday when a man driving a red Chevy Blazer apparently lost control of the vehicle on Route 107 south of Coral Bay. The Blazer careened off the road and plummeted some 60 feet down a steep hill before striking a tree, police said.
The victim, 41-year-old Edward R. Hearne of Gifft Hill, was pronounced dead on arrival, according to Police Lt. Rene Garcia. Police said he died of massive head injuries.
Garcia said the man's body was discovered alongside the vehicle, raising the possibility that he was not wearing a seatbelt.
Garcia said a firefighter called to report the accident at 8:10 a.m. Thursday. Early reports indicated the accident occurred near Saunders Bay. Garcia said the vehicle had been traveling north and that 30 feet of skid marks ended at the side of the road. Garcia said there is no guard rail on that section of the road.
The last traffic death on the island occurred in December 1999, when a 19-year-old St. John resident was killed on the North Shore Road.
