Tuesday February 9th, 2010
- Last update:13 hours 21 min ago
6 killed in crashes
...children among the dead in Creek
Published: 16 Aug 2009
A grieving relative being consoled at the
scene of the accident in which three people
were killed near the Shore of Peace at Mosquito
Creek yesterday. PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH
A trip to watch the “Balls of Fire” cricket match turned tragic yesterday when three people, including two children, died in a horrific two-vehicle crash on the slippery South Trunk Road. The accident occurred around 1 pm close to the Shore of Peace at Mosquito Creek. The victims have been identified as Rajesh Ramnarine, 37, of Ralph Narine Trace, South Oropouche; Sachin Maharaj, 9, of St Mary’s Village, South Oropouche; and Sachin Singh, 12, of Berridge Trace, South Oropouche.
Among the injured were Ian Singh, Shivanand Singh, Henry Lange, Shiva Lange, Shivanand Lange, Rajesh Ramlogan, Mahindra Maharaj, Roger Ramkissoon and three-year-old Darshan Maharaj. Other casualties Videsh Ramsaran, 21, and van driver Balram Heeralal, 46, of Mon Desir Road, South Oropouche, were said to be fighting for their lives up to late last night at the San Fernando General Hospital. Doctors worked round the clock to stablise the accident victims, two of whom were said to be on life support systems at the Intensive Care Unit.
Police said at least five people were critical having sustained massive head and chest injuries, broken legs and internal injuries. Scores of people abandoned their cars and ran to render assistance. Police report states Heeralal was driving his panel van east along the South Trunk Road when a Jusamco dump truck, driven by Balton Banwell, suddenly swerved and slammed into the van. An eyewitness said Heeralal saw the truck coming his way and pulled aside. However, the truck crossed lanes and rammed the right side of the panel van, causing it to skid to the edge of the road. The back door was thrown open tossing the occupants into the waters of the Gulf of Paria.
Witness Dhanan Gunness said he and his father Dianand quickly ran out to help. “Four guys were in the sea and others were unconscious and bleeding in the van. One of the boys was pinned. “We had to hold up the seat so that he would not fall out,” Gunness recalled. He said they immediately called in the Emergency Health Service and five ambulances arrived. By that time, Gunness and other passers-by had already pulled four people out of the water. Sachin Singh and Sachin Maharaj died on the spot. Both were sitting at the back of the van.
Heeralal’s wife, Dollin arrived shortly and began screaming when she saw the bodies. She was led away by police. Several bystanders also chastised the truck driver. However, Banwell said he got a bad drive from an on-coming motorist. “I tried to stop the truck from hitting the car. I pulled to the left but I went too much on the edge and when I pulled, I just hit the panel van,” he cried. Nursing a swollen lip, Banwell said sadly: “I did not mean to kill anybody.” The bodies were removed from the scene around 2 pm. Autopsies are scheduled for tomorrow. ASP Baldeo, Insp Seepersad, Cpl Singh and Ag Sgt Vijai Ramdhanie are continuing investigations.
...Three die on PBR
Meanwhile, in a separate incident yesterday, a soldier who worked with the Special Anti-Crime Unit (Sautt) was one of three people killed in a vehicular accident on the Priority Bus Route early yesterday morning. Staff sergeant Reginald West, Terry King and Roger Hercules died on the spot in the vicinity of the Coconut Growers’ Association around 5.30 am. West was driving a Tuscon SUV and allegedly fell asleep behind the while when he collided with King’s Mitsubishi Lancer. West was heading to his home on Marli Street in Port-of-Spain, while King, 30, and Hercules, 29, who were returning from a party at the Zen night club, were going to their homes in Chinapoo and Morvant, respectively.
West, who works with the Second Battalion at the Defence Force, and the two men died on the spot. Officers of the Besson Street Police Station are continuing investigations. Yesterday, Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert pleaded with motorists to exercise caution while driving, obey the traffic laws and desist from driving and talking on cell phones. “We are making the same plea all the time...people are consuming alcohol in excess and driving.”
—Rhonda Krystal Rambally
And We are also making the
And We are also making the same plea- Issue the Breathalyzer test and more highway patrols...
this driver has been driving
this driver has been driving reckless for some time now. recently was involve in an accident in Siparia. Police need to check up on him.He is always speeding.
To all truck drivers -
To all truck drivers - Please, if you are going to use the proverbial "bad drive" excuse, do not swing your truck onto innocent oncoming traffic!!!! If I was driving a truck and I got a bad drive, I would make sure the vehicle that gave me the bad drive is the one that bears the full risk of the collision, especially if that vehicle is smaller than the truck.
Why risk swinging a dump truck to avoid hitting the perpetrator of the "bad drive" and end up killing innocent people?
Also this course of action will help to keep the "bad driver" at the scene to explain his actions as usually in a genuine "bad drive" scenario the bad driver speeds off into the sunset scot free to "bad drive" someone else again, without answering for his actions.
My heart goes out to all the people who have lost someone in this tragic accident.
Ever so often we hear of
Ever so often we hear of these horrific traffic accidents that take the lives of our loved ones.
"Bad Drivers" exist only because they know that they can literally get away with murder as there's no visible police presence.
Hong Wing or Nescafé coffee works Mr Acting Commissioner of Police. WAKE UP!
One has to blame the current
One has to blame the current Minister of WT Colm and his predecessors.
Quote me on this :
The trucks and other heavy vehicles in TT are not compliant with international law.
The tyres, alignment everything is wrong, the pressure in the tyres, the braking system
Thus the result is there is little control
Ask any authority in the world, you do not listen to local advice
There is corruption in Ministry of WT whereby unsuitable vehicles are inspected and allowed on the roads
This corruption occurs in the approved garages as they inspect and approve unsuitable vehicles
Blame Colm, his predecessors, the honchos in charge of running all the licensing departments and who get bribes for passing unsuitable vehicles, the PM who is well aware, the COP who is part and parcel of everything in TT, the driver too if we had scientific proof of his inebriated state
Blame the culture and yourselves cause in two twos or as soon as you digest two Sunday meals you forget this
(not the families affected of course)
People have power even in Iran Iraq why Trinis lie down with no backbone
Change the culture and the system
Do not listen and TT is going to get worse
There are just too many
There are just too many vehicles on the roads, moreover the roads are poorly designed and poorly maintained. I have seen deep trenches (canals) on the sides of the PBR near San Juan. Sometimes I wonder what is the price we pay for overcrowding. Is it TT$1.5 billion per year for wasted time?
Rik Hansel
After reading all of these
After reading all of these comments, I must agree with roshan hanief/Rik Hansel for this statement: ...the roads are poorly designed...
How stupid it is to cross onto the lane of oncoming traffic when overtaking the vehicle in front of you!!!!!!
Download and install Google Earth, and look at Trinidad from above. You would see that there is no shortage of land, and no excuses for not having wider roads with more lanes.
To blame the drivers is like accusing people of littering when there are no garbage bins around!!!!!!
This comment: To blame the
This comment:
To blame the drivers is like accusing people of littering when there are no garbage bins around!!!!!!
is a cop out.
Then you hold the litter, like other things you hold in, until you reach a convenient place to dispose of it.
The fact is, we must admit that Trinidad has some of the dumbest drivers in the world.
People speed, but we do not have roads to speed on. You would think that on work days they speed to avoid sanctions for reaching to work late. But in our laissez faire society reaching to work late is the norm.
The plain truth is, there is no law enforcement for those that drive like fools on the roads in Trinidad. Mr.Philbert could beg and plead all he wants, but until the police flood the roads with 24/7 mobile patrols, and mandate that the officers stay away from the rum shops and write tickets like crazy, nothing will change.
This is not a daunting task. There are three places where most of the carnage takes place -- Mosquito Creek, the Priority Bus Route, and the Churchill Roosevelt Highway. How difficult could it be to patrol these roads and enforce the traffic laws of the country?
I am sure that the truck
I am sure that the truck driver was speeding, there is no way that van could have been pushed so far without being hit hard. I hope they make him account for what he did, these truck drivers speed on the road because they get paid by the load, so the more load they carry the more money they make, thanks to the selfish company they work for. can you imagine the grief these family are going through, imagine losing a 9 and 12 year old son, someone has to account for this...it is madness....
Recently someone suggested
Recently someone suggested in the Guardian, a sentence of 25 years (to life) for using a weapon (gun) to commit a crime. That thought has been renting space in my head since then. Now that is not a bad idea. The writer has something there. By expansion we need to apply this idea to vehicular accidents. If we were to sentence the surviving driver (and his/her friends) once it is proven they were at fault with their reckless driving causing an ACCIDENT it does not even have to reach to death--15 years. Death--life imprisonment with a chance of parole when their reflexes are only good enough to ride a bicycle!! As zany as this sounds--IT CAN WORK. But then, who wants to see T & T safe and crime/accident free? Not those jokers who could call the shots. You must admit it is a realistic thought that would deter criminals and idiots at large.
Recently someone suggested
Recently someone suggested in the Guardian, a sentence of 25 years (to life) for using a weapon (gun) to commit a crime. That thought has been renting space in my head since then. Now that is not a bad idea. The writer has something there. By expansion we need to apply this idea to vehicular accidents. If we were to sentence the surviving driver (and his/her friends) once it is proven they were at fault with their reckless driving causing an ACCIDENT it does not even have to reach to death--15 years. Death--life imprisonment with a chance of parole when their reflexes are only good enough to ride a bicycle!! As zany as this sounds--IT CAN WORK. But then, who wants to see T & T safe and crime/accident free? Not those jokers who could call the shots. You must admit it is a realistic thought that would deter criminals and idiots at large.
Recently someone suggested
Recently someone suggested in the Guardian, a sentence of 25 years (to life) for using a weapon (gun) to commit a crime. That thought has been renting space in my head since then. Now that is not a bad idea. The writer has something there. By expansion we need to apply this idea to vehicular accidents. If we were to sentence the surviving driver (and his/her friends) once it is proven they were at fault with their reckless driving causing an ACCIDENT it does not even have to reach to death--15 years. Death--life imprisonment with a chance of parole when their reflexes are only good enough to ride a bicycle!! As zany as this sounds--IT CAN WORK. But then, who wants to see T & T safe and crime/accident free? Not those jokers who could call the shots. You must admit it is a realistic thought that would deter criminals and idiots at large.
Recently someone suggested
Recently someone suggested in the Guardian, a sentence of 25 years (to life) for using a weapon (gun) to commit a crime. That thought has been renting space in my head since then. Now that is not a bad idea. The writer has something there. By expansion we need to apply this idea to vehicular accidents. If we were to sentence the surviving driver (and his/her friends) once it is proven they were at fault with their reckless driving causing an ACCIDENT it does not even have to reach to death--15 years. Death--life imprisonment with a chance of parole when their reflexes are only good enough to ride a bicycle!! As zany as this sounds--IT CAN WORK. But then, who wants to see T & T safe and crime/accident free? Not those jokers who could call the shots. You must admit it is a realistic thought that would deter criminals and idiots at large.