Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer

Orane Sterling - file

A pall of gloom hung over the St. James football community yesterday with news that yet another promising footballer from the region died from the effects of a motor vehicle accident.

The latest victim is Jamaica's Under-20 invitee, Orane Sterling, who had been a patient at the Kingston Public Hospital for over three weeks before passing on yesterday. Omroy Wilson, then student of Cornwall College, died in May following a motor vehicle accident while Steve Malcolm and Winston Anglin were others who met a similar fate.

Sterling's father, Ronald, trying his best to compose himself, told Star Sports yesterday that his son passed away at 10:00 a.m.

"What I have been told is that he passed away at 10:00 in the morning. I do not have any details but I have an appointment for 8:00 clock tomorrow (today) with the doctor who pronounced him," he said with his voice breaking.

Seventeen-year-old Sterling, a former student of Herbert Morrison Technical High School, suffered head injuries in the accident on August 6 and has been a patient at the Kingston Public Hospital since. Over the weekend, his father expressed hope that his son would recover as he had come out of a coma a few days before and was somewhat responsive.

"Orane's condition has improved. He has been out of a coma since Monday of last week and is out of intensive care, which is a positive as far as I am concerned," the elder Sterling told Star Sports on the weekend.

News of his passing was difficult to deal with, especially for his former coach at Catherine Hall Football Club, Garfield Anderson.

"When I heard the news this morning I felt weak. Something just came over me, a feeling I could not describe but as they say the Lord knows best," said Anderson trying to console himself.

He added: "Orane was not only a bright talent but a wonderful human being with the heart of a lion. He is like an adopted son to me because I have been working with him since the age of nine and I have watched him grow up representing Herbert Morrison to being invited for the a national youth team.

"He will be missed by the Catherine Hall community and everyone who knew him. It is not an easy time but we just have to be there for the family," Anderson concluded.

It was no less difficult for Clifton Kellier who coached him for three years at Herbert Morrison.

"He will be greatly missed in the St. James football community as well as the school community. It is sad to know that we keep losing some of our better players at such a tender age in car accidents," Kellier said.

"He was one of the young aspiring footballers that one feels would have made it at last to the national team. I was looking for great things from him," Kellier added, shaking his head in disbelief.