Overview:
A devastating accident on Nationwide Highway 6 in Ouanaminthe killed three younger males on Aug. 21, elevating the demise toll on this important commerce path to 14 in nearly a yr. Grieving households and different residents name for pressing security fixes to be made.
FORT-LIBERTE — Court docket of the Peace Decide Renau Pierre confirmed Thursday that three younger males
working as motorcycle-taxi drivers and tire repairmen—Guempson Saintilnord, Jimmy Otalus and Mexène Fleurilus, aged 17 to 26—had been killed whereas touring from the capital metropolis of the Northeast Division to the border city of Ouanaminthe.
A gap on the Nationwide Highway 6, certainly one of Haiti’s most harmful roads, triggered the crash, resulting in fast fatalities, the choose reported.
Residents, witnessing the deadly accident, described a devastating scene: a gaping gap within the pavement, a sudden swerve and the three younger males had been trapped beneath a truck, their bike engulfed in flames.
This incident brings the demise toll on this important freeway a minimum of to 14 in 2025, amid 402 reported accidents since 2024.
Households mourn as accidents on Nationwide Highway 6 spotlight authorities negligence, poor infrastructure, unsafe and reckless driving
Nationwide Highway 6 isn’t only a highway—it’s a lifeline for commerce and transit between the North, Artibonite, Northeast and the Dominican Republic. But its slim lanes, deteriorating floor and scant enforcement make it deadly. Advocacy teams and native households warn that with out dramatic security investments and driver coaching, extra tragedies like this one are inevitable.
Residents are distraught. Jean Herold Dumesle Pierre described Mount Casse—a stretch of Nationwide Highway 6—as “a hall of demise,” urging authorities in Ouanaminthe and Fort-Liberté to unite in bettering security.
Isala Marcelin cited the highway’s narrowness, calling it unfit for present visitors volumes. On the identical time, Miraldo Jean-Baptiste laid blame on reckless drivers.
“It’s the drivers who’re in charge,” Jean-Baptiste advised The Haitian Instances.
“They respect no visitors ideas. Even for those who’re in your lane, they hit you.”
Patrick Fulton Chérizier agreed. He stated, “The dearth of warning amongst drivers mixed with the federal government’s negligence in highway security is the reason for a majority of these accidents.”
This crash is a part of a broader sample. Earlier this month, a collision close to the Dajabón market injured many and killed a minimum of one, whereas one other on Aug. 12 induced extreme losses for distributors. These incidents amplify the case for pressing upgrades to infrastructure and driver training.
The problem of highway security
Haiti’s highway demise fee—almost 20 per 100,000 individuals—is 4 occasions greater than Western European averages, in response to a 2021 Inter-American Improvement Financial institution report. Weak highway customers—particularly motorcyclists and pedestrians—are disproportionately affected. Nationwide Highway 6’s standing as a high-risk hall displays systemic failures: poor signage, lack of formal driver coaching, crumbling surfaces and the absence of visitors policing.
In response, residents have repeatedly known as for pressing measures — from repairing and re-engineering hazardous stretches, to strengthening visitors patrols, implementing car requirements, launching public-awareness campaigns and establishing dependable emergency medical response alongside main routes.
As communities mourn yet one more preventable loss, voices like these of Miraldo, Marcelin and Chérizier develop louder, insisting that Haiti can not afford to disregard the warning indicators. For them, the message is evident: the time to behave is now.