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Family's angel taken long before his time

Jason Binns a friendly and ambitious young man was the Island?s second road fatality of the year. He was 22.

Jason died after suffering head and internal injuries during a single vehicle accident in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Jason?s sister Ren?e Francis said she just wanted to hear him put his key in the door again.

She said: ?The last time I saw him he was walking out the door saying goodbye to me.

?I wish he could walk right back in. Every night I waited for him to come in after work and as soon as I heard his key, I knew he was okay.

?Last night was the worst. I am still waiting to hear that key.?

Jason?s body was discovered by a Police patrol at 3 a.m. near the junction of Rosehill Road and Middle Road, in Southampton.

Police said he was lying in an unresponsive state on the side of the road only a short distance from his damaged motorcycle.

He was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital via ambulance where he died at 4 a.m. from his injuries.

Police said it appeared that he lost control of his motorcycle, as he travelled east on Middle Road.

Police are requesting anyone with information to contact P.c. Dennis Maybury on 299-4265.

Jason?s other sister Kim Thomas-Phillips, of Alabama, said ?he was taken all too soon?.

She said Jason had studied at Alabama A&M University, before returning home to make more money for his studies.

?He was a very good artist, he would do a pencil drawing that looked like a black and white snapshot,? she said, ?He wasn?t formally trained, it was natural talent.

?He was a sweet boy, decent and hardworking ? all the things you would want in a brother or a boyfriend.

?It is unfortunate that he is gone and we don?t have a long resum? of things to say about him.?

Ms Francis said Jason was ambitious and he held down two jobs, one as a construction worker and the second as a kitchen steward at Fairmont Hamilton Princess.

?He always made his time and everybody liked him and people on his day job said ?that boy worked hard? and the (Fairmont) Hamilton Princess said he was a good worker, who would always stay until the work was finished.?

Ms Francis said this often meant he would have stayed until 4.30 a.m. when he was supposed to have knocked off at 2 a.m. He would then make 7.30 a.m. to his construction job.

?He was saving to buy a house, a car and to further his education,? she said.

She said he was like a son to her and she raised him.

?He treated me like his mother and whenever Mother?s Day came around he would say, ?you are like my mother, not my sister.?

She said his friend who was riding with him said he lost control of his cycle when he seemed to brush something away from his face and the next thing he knew Jason struck the wall.

?He didn?t wear shades or glasses so something must have gotten into his eyes,? she said.

When the accident occurred Jason and his friend were on their way back from Club Malabar.

?Jason likes to listen to the music, he doesn?t smoke and don?t drink, he was making 7.30 in the morning,? she said.

?His friend must have convinced him to go up there to listen to the music ? it was 3.20 when his friend came and said he was bleeding from his ears.

?I was just hoping that God would save him.?

Ms Francis said she had great expectations for Jason.

?I just saw this child being a big-time architect.

?Ever since he was a little boy, he could draw well. He got a double portion as both his parents were artists.

?He drew things precisely and he began with cartoons. I always told him God has given you a gift, use it.?

Ms Francis said she feels cheated to know that Jason will never achieve his goals.

?He was fighting to make it happen,? she said, ?It makes me so mad.

?He did everything right and some young men are doing everything wrong.

?When you get an angel, why would God have taken him??

Ms Francis said all of his friends are flying in from university and his mother arrived yesterday afternoon.

She said they all want to be pallbearers ?everybody wants to be just as good to him as he was to them.

?He didn?t deserve this,? she said, ?He was just so excited about life and was looking forward to a great summer.

?He had managed to pay all his bills and was finally able to start putting money into his savings account. He had a goal.

?I just wish I could keep on talking to him.?

Jason is survived by his sister Kim Thomas-Phillips, Rodney Smith, Ren?e Francis and his mother Alice K. Binns.