It is unclear whether a man who died on Monday is the Island?s 12th road fatality of the year because of a ?unique set of circumstances? surrounding the reporting of a suspected road collision.

Police last night spoke to correct an earlier announcement that Antonio Armando Correia had died from injuries sustained in a road crash last Friday.

It had been thought Mr, Correia, 53, was involved in an unreported collision involving his orange motorcycle and an unknown car between 5 and 7 p.m. on October 14 on South Road, Smith?s, somewhere between McGall?s Hill and Spittal Pond.

Specifics about the accident are not known for sure because it was not reported to the Police.

Mr. Correia was treated at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for bruising to his left foot that evening and was sent home but became ill with severe pain in his right hip and had problems breathing.

An ambulance was called and he was taken from his Smith?s residence to the hospital where he died on Monday morning.

At one stage yesterday his of death was being attributed to a pre-existing medical condition but as went to press last night the cause of death, whether by a pre-existing medical condition or a result of a road collision injury, remained unclear.

Police spokesman Dwaine Caines said: ?We may have spoken out of turn when we classified this death as the 12th road fatality.

?It is premature at this juncture to classify the death of Mr. Correia as a result of a road collision. Police received specific information that a collision had taken place and we are appealing for any witnesses or people who were in the vicinity to contact us so that we can piece together what happened.?

He apologised for the earlier characterising of the death as a road fatality and repeated that cause of death is, as yet, not attributable.

Police spokesman Mr. Caines said: ?Mr. Correia did not identify that he had been in a road traffic collision. These are unique circumstances and the KEMH acted in a proactive way.?

Any witnesses to the accident to contact P.c. Barker on 295-0011.