‘This can’t be true’: Friends mourn woman after tragic Western Road crash

The loss of Shaquell Roberts on Monday has left family and friends stunned, heartbroken, and searching for answers.

Roberts, 34, was traveling along Western Road when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction collided with her Honda, causing it to spin out of control and then overturn. She died at the scene. The male driver of the other vehicle was injured.

News of her passing spread quickly, and with it came a flood of grief from loved ones.

“She was gentle, sweet, and always kind to me,” wrote her friend Aleandra Pinder in a tribute that echoed across social media timelines.

But it was the message from her daughter that cut deep.

“Mommy, only if you could have held on longer… wake up please. I can’t do this.”

Friends spoke of disbelief that someone so full of life could be gone so suddenly.

“When I saw her, I kept shaking my head… no, this can’t be true,” said Jaqua Strachan. “I never imagined this would be the end.”

For coworkers at the BPL Clifton plant, where Roberts worked, the shock seemed unbearable.

“This is the biggest blow,” said Adanta Micklewhite, who came to the scene after hearing the news. “She was the coolest, chilliest person alive.”

Carla Forrestal remembers their everyday routine.

“You’d stop and ask me to open your office after I opened the gate,” she wrote. “But this morning… you didn’t. This is a hard pill to swallow. You will be missed. BPL will never be the same.”

Others remembered her as approachable, warm, and full of light.

“You didn’t even have to know her, she would talk to you,” said Sherr Gibson.

“I can’t remember a time when Quelly wasn’t smiling,” Pinder added.

“She was the sweetest person,” wrote Shae Smith.