Paula Gordon, STAR Writer

Business came to a standstill at a popular training institute in the Kingston 5 area on Friday after a 22-year-old accounting clerk pulled what was supposed to be a harmless April Fool's Day prank.

THE STAR understands that the clerk was seriously reprimanded after he halted business at the institution for the most part of the day with a very serious hoax.

April Fool's Day, celebrated April 1 in different countries around the world, is usually marked by the commission of good humoured or funny jokes and hoaxes on friends, family members, teachers, neighbours and work associates.

However, staff members at the institution believe that this hoax may have gone too far.

Information reaching THE STAR is that, about 8 a.m., Friday, an employee at the institution received a call on her cellular phone from a man claiming to be a taxi driver, who informed her that her co-worker was hit down trying to cross a roadway in Spanish Town.

Further, the taxi man told the employee the accident occurred because he was unable to stop while the victim was crossing the street. He also informed her that he had taken the victim to the Spanish Town Hospital where he was taken into the emergency unit.

serious condition

A source employed to the institution told THE STAR that news of the accident spread like wildfire.

"My boss called me and asked if I heard the news and based on the information received that he was in serious condition she said she and the human resource manager were going to the hospital," she said.

However, one of the managers decided to contact a doctor who she knew personally at the hospital to ascertain the patient's condition before making her way there.

THE STAR understands that when she contacted the doctor, the register showed that there was no patient admitted to the hospital by the given name. In addition, she was told that the only way the patient's name would not be on the register is if his body was at the morgue.

Further checks were carried out at the morgue and nothing was found.

The source noted, "My boss tried to contact the supposed victim and after several attempts, she got through to him and he stated that he was on a bus on his way to work and she tell him to make sure he was involved in an accident."

She further reasoned that at first the situation seemed questionable but when they saw him there was no more disbelief. "When he came into the office, he was all sweaty, with a walking stick and bandage around his waist, so everybody was sympathising with him," she recalled.

However, it was not until later that day the accounting clerk admitted it was just a prank. He said he was only trying to trick his colleagues and he never expected it to reach so far.

"At first, the managers were angry but after he explained and apologised, they didn't really do him anything," the source said.