Dwayne Mcleod, Staff Reporter

Aston Williams, the driver of the garbage truck that claimed the lives of two women on July 4, is to appear in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court today.

The 66-year-old man was charged with two counts of manslaughter last weekend after he turned himself in to the police. He reportedly fled the accident scene and was in hiding.

Williams was charged after he turned up at the Half-Way Tree Police Station with his attorney

The Constabulary Communication Network had reported that on July 4, about 6:40 a.m., a Leyland garbage truck, driven by Williams, was travelling along Hagley Park Road, towards Half-Way Tree, St Andrew. On reaching a section of the road, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. The truck hit four women who were standing on the sidewalk. A newspaper vendor, 49-year-old Desrine Irvin, who was pregnant, died on the spot, while Allison Burke, 49, an accountant of Portmore, St Catherine, died in hospital on July 9.