NASSAU, Bahamas, Sept. 3, 2024 — Three brothers, all in their 20s, died early Monday in a car crash on Sir Milo Butler Highway in New Providence, police said.
Police identified the brothers as Philip McCarron Christie, 24; Philip D’Caprio Christie, 23, and D’Angelo Christie, 20, The Nassau Gusrdian reported today in an article written by Executive Editor Candia Dames.
They were their mother’s only sons, and had moved to New Providence from North Andros, where they were raised, for better opportunities, according to relatives.
Police reported that shortly after 2 a.m., the brother who was driving a metallic gray Honda Passport north along the highway with the other two as passengers lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree on the western side of the road. It is unclear which brother was driving.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers discovered the driver and front-seat passenger trapped inside unresponsive.
They were extricated through the use of the Jaws of Life and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The rear-seat passenger was removed from the vehicle and transported to hospital and later died.
Philip McCarron Christie was “a promising young craftsman apprentice of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL)”, who worked at the Clifton Pier Power Station, according to a statement released by Minister of Energy and Transport JoBeth Coleby-Davis.
“Christie represented the future of our nation,” Coleby-Davis said. “He was poised to make a valuable contribution to our energy sector.”
Philip D’Caprio Christie was employed at the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) as a member of its Service Delivery Team, according to a joint statement from BTC and BPL.
“The staff at both organizations were shocked and saddened to have received the news today of this tragedy, which also took the life of the Christies’ brother,” the companies said. “These men have been valuable assets to BTC and BPL and their contributions and dedication to their craft will always be remembered.”
BTC CEO Sameer Bhatti said Philip D’Caprio, who completed his last shift on Saturday evening, always went the extra mile to get the job done and was an excellent team member.
“Philip (D’Caprio) was fun loving, well-loved by his colleagues and would always make you smile. He was the life of our Service Delivery team, and the news of his passing has sent shockwaves throughout our organization,” Bhatti said.
BPL CEO Shevonn Cambridge said, “Philip (McCarron) joined our organization in September 2023, and in that short time, he quickly became a valued team member, admired for his enthusiasm, hard work, and commitment to his craft. The loss of Philip is deeply felt by all who knew him, and our hearts go out to his family during this incredibly difficult time.”
According to Bruno Miller, the victims’ uncle, D’Angelo Christie was employed at a shipping company.
“There is not a word in this dictionary to tell you how I feel right now,” Miller said. “They are the only three sons of my sister. She will never be the same anymore. This is not normal for a mother to lose her stronghold, her support, her only boys. This is something you would read about. This is beyond what the outside is looking at; it is so much more than that.”
Speaking of Lovan Christie, the victims’ mother, Miller said, “I cannot fathom any words to tell her right now. The best I could have done is hug her and walk away.”
Miller said that upon learning of the tragedy, he, his sister and other relatives flew from North Andros to Nassau.
“Nobody could imagine what she is going through right now; not even me,” he said. “I’m trying to process it.”
Miller said his sister is ailing and her sons supported her greatly.
“Words can’t comprehend,” he said. “If I had the words to tell you, I would tell you. Words can’t comprehend. This is not a normal incident.”
Miller said his nephews were very young when their father died. He helped raise them in Nicholl’s Town, Andros, and said they were “very good kids” who made their family proud.
“The whole community is in shock,” he said. “The whole island is devastated because to have three persons die one time and everybody knows they were really good kids; they were the kind of kids that you would recognize because they were really good kids; they were the kind of kids that people would be proud to call their sons.”
Miller said the brothers were headed home, but he did not know where they were coming from when the crash happened.
Allyah Beneby, the victims’ cousin, said the family is in a lot of pain.
“Losing three family members isn’t easy for anyone and especially young members [whose] life expectancy is supposed to be great,” Beneby said.
After hearing of the tragedy involving the two brothers who died at the scene, the family had held out hope that D’Angelo Christie would survive, though he was in critical condition, but hours after the crash authorities confirmed his death.
“… You can’t image the loss, honestly,” Beneby said. “It’s like whatever pain you ever felt in your lifetime times a billion.”
The young men had no children of their own.
Their mother remarked that they did not live long enough to leave behind any children, and she has nothing left of them, Beneby said.
She said her cousins were island boys and true Bahamian men, and came to New Providence as Andros has limited economic activity.
“I would want people to know they were honorable boys, respectable; they were loved,” she said.
The Christies’ sister is now their mother’s only remaining child, according to relatives.
In a social media post, Prime Minister Philip Davis said he and his wife, Ann, are deeply heartbroken by the tragic accident.
“Losing three young lives so suddenly is a sorrow beyond words,” Davis said. “We share in your grief and want you to know that you are not alone during this time.”
Carlton Bowleg, former member of Parliament for North Andros and the Berry Islands, told The Nassau Guardian the Christies were “very humble, mannerly young men”.
“It has the whole of North Andros really now in shock and hurting,” said Bowleg, adding that the family is very close-knitted.
“… It’s really sad. The mom, she went through her battles. Those children are her life. She lost her husband [due to] his illness that he had. He passed. She is the strength of the family and she held it together. She held everything together. That was their anchor.”
He said he last saw the Christies at a fish fry in North Andros recently.
Member of Parliament for North Andros and the Berry Islands Leonardo Lightbourne encouraged all drivers to drive with extreme caution and care, especially during inclement weather and remain within the speed limit.
Lightbourne extended condolences to the victims’ family, as did Coleby-Davis, who also extended sympathies to all families who have lost loved ones in traffic accidents throughout The Bahamas.
“Unfortunately, the number of traffic fatalities recorded so far for 2024 is 53 – an increase compared to 2023,” Coleby-Davis said.
She said of the fatalities reported, most were males with over 60 percent of the victims under 46.
Approximately 77 percent of reported fatal traffic accidents occurred between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., with most of them occurring on Sundays and Mondays, the minister advised.
“Our nation cannot continue to lose so many of its citizens in traffic accidents,” she said. “The pain on families and communities is immeasurable.”
See article in The Nassau Guardian at https://www.thenassauguardian.com/news/three-brothers-killed-in-crash/article_1613d650-6888-11ef-81d5-ffdaa028829e.html?utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwY2xjawFECmFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZvbNG9Cy7mp8sd5UUMLQ3IBFQ_ZHR00haHpgBk5yxwv3xyDvbXpZPgHlQ_aem_zrkOaAxUc2Uirx7UGPtw5g
