Daniel Sutherland

Last week was one of those days that made me truly appreciate the twists and turns of life on the road. At 69 years old, I've been driving a cab in Kingston, Jamaica for 40 years, and the city can be a wild place, full of unpredictable moments. I was driving a mother and her little daughter to meet her husband. The day had been typical, the usual hustle and bustle of the streets, until I stopped to give another driver directions.

He seemed lost and a bit frantic, so I took a few minutes to help him out. I could tell the mother in the backseat was getting a bit restless, but she didn’t say anything. I apologized for the delay, feeling the weight of the minutes ticking by. By the time I finished, we had missed the green light at the major intersection ahead.

Then it happened. A series of loud, gut-wrenching crashes echoed through the air as several vehicles collided at high speed right in front of us. The intersection turned into a scene of chaos, with twisted metal and smoke filling the air. My heart pounded as I realized that if we hadn't stopped, we would have been right in the middle of that wreck.

The mother clutched her daughter tightly, both of them visibly shaken. I was in shock too, my hands gripping the steering wheel as I tried to process what had just happened. Moments later, the police and ambulances arrived, their sirens piercing through the heavy atmosphere.

I couldn't help but think about how close we came to disaster. If I hadn't stopped to help that driver, we might have been casualties. It's a sobering thought, how small moments can drastically alter the course of our lives. Incidents like this remind me of the fragility of life and the unpredictability of each day on the road.

I've been more cautious since then, taking a bit more time to ensure safety over speed. The mother thanked me profusely once we finally reached her destination, tears of relief in her eyes. I think about retiring soon, stepping back from the daily grind of Kingston's streets. For now, I’m just grateful we made it through that day unscathed.