Grieving Cornwall College students carry Omroy Wilson's body from the St James Parish Church after his funeral. Wilson, a national youth player and captain of the school's daCosta Cup football team, was killed a car crash in 2006.

Hundreds of Jamaicans are killed yearly in accidents on our roads and sportsmen of high repute are among those to have met this fate. Since 2001, the country has buried four national footballers who have died as a result of motor vehicle accidents, two of whom have played at the World Cup. As The Gleaner joins the campaign to save lives, we remind you of some notable sportsmen to have perished as a result of motor vehicle crashes.

Collie Smith

This hard-hitting batsman and off-spin bowler died in 1959 at the age of 26 after a motor vehicle crash in England. The crash happened while he was travelling with his West Indian teammates Garry Sobers and Tom Dewdney. Sobers was driving the group to London to attend a charity match the next day. About 4 a.m., the car ran into a 10-ton cattle truck in Staffordshire.

Smith's injuries seemed minor initially and Smith even told Sobers, in reference to Dewdney, "Don't worry about me. Look after the big fellow." Smith was sleeping in the back seat and had been thrown forward. It injured his spine badly and he soon went into a coma. Smith died without regaining consciousness three days later. His body was taken to Jamaica where 60,000 people attended the funeral. He was later buried at the May Pen Cemetery in Kingston.

Football coaches Winthorpe 'Jackie' Bell and Dennis Ziadie died in a motor accident while attending the World Cup in Mexico in June, 1986. Both men played for St George's College in the Manning Cup and for Jamaica.

Prior to their departure for Mexico, Bell had been named Jamaica's coach while Ziadie - who coached St George's to Manning Cup success - was to play a major role in the country's youth programme.

The Bell-Ziadie Memorial charity match, held annually since 1986, is played in their honour.

Stephen 'Shortie' Malcolm

Jamaica grieves for Reggae Boyz star Stephen Malcolm, nicknamed Shorty because of his height. He was tragically killed in a car crash in 2001.

The diminutive Malcolm had hardly got rid of the sweat he broke on the football field to help Jamaica draw against Bulgaria when he died. The hardworking defensive midfielder, who represented Jamaica at the football World Cup in France in 1998, was killed in a traffic crash on January 28, 2001.

Malcolm was on his way home to Montego Bay with teammate Theodore Whitmore, when his car blew a tyre, hit an embankment and overturned near Falmouth. Whitmore, who is now the national coach, was injured in the accident, but fully recovered.

Winston 'Twinny Bug' Anglin

Anglin, a supremely gifted midfielder, died in September 2004 after the car in which he was travelling crashed in St Ann. Four other persons who were travelling in the car also died. Anglin was returning home to Montego Bay, St James, after watching a World Cup qualifier in Kingston, where Jamaica lost 2-1 to Panama. He died from severe trauma to the head and body. Anglin was only 41.

Peter 'Jair' Cargill

The midfielder, who represented Jamaica 84 times and coached national age-group teams and served as national coach, died in the St Ann's Bay Hospital after the vehicle in which he was travelling overturned in Discovery Bay, St Ann, in 2005. The vehicle reportedly skidded on the wet road and hit an embankment, before overturning. Cargill was thrown from the vehicle.

Laurie Williams

The Jamaica and West Indies all-rounder was killed in 2002 after he lost control of his car and crashed into a public bus. His brother, Kevin Jenninson, a passenger in the car, also died.

The crash occurred on the causeway linking Kingston to Portmore. Williams had swerved to avoid a pothole on the causeway and lost control of his silver Honda Torneo. The vehicle swerved across the dual carriageway and into the path of an oncoming bus.

Omroy Wilson

Former national Under-17 football captain Omroy Wilson died in a car accident on the Stewart Town main road in Trelawny in May 2006. The vehicle he was driving hit an embankment, overturned, and Wilson was thrown outside. He suffered head injuries and died.