A teenager and a 48-year-old man were killed in two separate motorcycle accidents this weekend.

On Friday, a 17-year-old pillion passenger suffered fatal injuries in a crash with a truck and car. Then on Saturday, a 48-year-old motorcyclist was killed after a being in a collision with a cyclist and pedestrian.

Police last night named the victims as Miguel Franco, of Paget, and Rudell Smith, of Southampton. Their deaths are the first road fatalities of 2008.

Mr. Franco, 17, was admitted to ICU at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital on Friday but died at 4.30 a.m. yesterday. Mr. Smith passed away at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

The death of Mr. Franco is the second tragedy to strike Warwick Academy in recent weeks. On January 25, 15-year-old Dakarai Tucker lost his fight for life after suffering an aneurysm of the brain.

The school's Deputy Principal Maggie McCorkell said last night: "The condolences and sympathies from all of us in the Warwick Academy family go out to the Franco family and all Miguel's friends. Tomorrow will be another difficult day for many of our students and we have made arrangements to look after them. This has been another very sad weekend for us all."

The 17-year-old was the passenger on a motorcycle heading east between Khyber Pass and Longford Road in Warwick when the crash happened at noon on Friday. He sustained serious head and internal injuries.

A Police spokesman said the motorcycle was behind a truck travelling east on Middle Road, and that the car was heading in the opposite direction.

"It appears that the truck slowed down and the cycle attempted to manoeuvre around it, however the cycle was unable to and collided with the truck and the westbound car," he said.

"The rider of the cycle was not injured, however the cycle's pillion passenger sustained serious head and internal injuries.

"Last night, Mr. Franco's friends posted tributes on two dedication sites on Internet networking website Facebook.

On 'Pray for Miguel Franco', one friend wrote: "Miggs ur were the friendliest guy I ever met. Enjoy paradise. U deserve it.

"Another posted: "I hope every1 learns from this..pay attention on bermudas roads cuz some ppl dont pay attention wen they drive..miguel was a gr8 person n a good friend..he will be missed dearly by every1...

'RIP Miguel Franco' said: "This group is dedicated to Miguel Franco, he was a friend, a loved one, an uncle, a cousin, a son, a child of God, and a true soldier. In and out of school he brought smiles to faces, made the bad day or lesson in school fun, and most importantly he was a friend you cannot replace."The accident which claimed the life of Mr. Smith took place near the junction of Norden Lane with Ord Road, Paget, at 7.10 p.m. on Saturday.

A Police spokesman said: "It appears the motorcycle was travelling west on Ord Road when the rider, a 48-year-old Southampton man, attempted to negotiate a left-hand bend. However, he collided with a young woman on a pedal cycle and a young man who was walking with her. The motorcyclist then lost control and collided with an embankment.

"Mr. Smith was admitted to KEMH but pronounced dead at 8 p.m.The cyclist, a 13-year-old girl from Warwick, received treatment for injuries to her right hand and mouth, while the male pedestrian was uninjured.

Witnesses to the accidents should contact the Roads Policing Unit on 295 0011.