Shane Superville
Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
Beetham residents say they were focused on helping, not stealing from victims of an accident that occurred along the Priority Bus Route on Monday.
Video of the accident and residents rushing to assist the driver of a 12-seater maxi taxi and an off-duty policeman went viral on social media, with many praising residents for their bravery.
Police said that, based on initial information, the driver of a 12-seater maxi tried to make a U-turn onto another lane of the Priority Bus Route when the driver of a white car collided with the back of the minibus, causing it to veer into a drain.
Police said the driver of the car, an off-duty policeman assigned to the National Operations Task Force (NOTF), was injured but was in “good spirits” yesterday.
But despite footage of residents pulling the driver out of the muddy maxi, some social media commentators were critical and sceptical of members of the Beetham community.
Resident Travis McIntosh, who was at the scene, said the main priority of the residents was to help the victims.
McIntosh said while he was aware of the perception that many people had towards Beetham Gardens, he maintained that many residents have come to the assistance of accident victims over the years on both the Priority Bus Route and the Beetham Highway.
He said the residents also assisted in securing the pistol of the off-duty policeman, who was unable to move after the accident.
“We was down in there pulling out the people and them and you can ask the driver, the passengers, the driver’s wife and the policeman to hear for yourself.
“The (policeman) couldn’t even help himself, he was just bawling, ‘My gun, my gun,’ and we say, ‘We don’t want your gun, boy, we just trying to help you, lie down there,’ and his gun was right there.
“We pick it up and we handed it over to the security guard from CGA (Coconut Growers Association), who went and gave it to the police, because we know if we take that gun it would be bacchanal.”
McIntosh said residents waded through the dirty water to help the passengers out of the maxi taxi and secure their property.
“We had black water all up our feet, and we had to bathe about three times after getting out of that water.
“I had to leave behind the shoes I was wearing in that nasty water to show how deep inside we were.”
Another Beetham resident, who asked not to be named, said that given the heavy police presence in the immediate aftermath of the accident, there would have been arrests if any items were stolen.
Referring to the high grass and dirty water in the drain where the maxi taxi crashed, McIntosh said the issue of poor drainage was a long-standing problem in Beetham Gardens and urged the Government to hire residents to clean it themselves.
He noted that such a solution would not only address that issue but also provide much-needed employment to residents.
“Since the CEPEP contracts were cancelled, the Bus Route and our neighbourhood are starting to look like the labasse.
“The grass take over the drains, so the water can’t run. They could give us a small contract with a few names to clean the Bus Route for Christmas. We want things to do, we don’t care if it’s only $150 a day or $200 a day, we just want something to do.”
Laventille West MP Kareem Marcelle lauded the efforts of the residents in helping the victims of the crash, noting that past instances where motorists were robbed by Beetham residents represented “a minority” within the community.
He also implored the authorities to do their part in cleaning the drain, noting that the rising level of water in the canal was the highest he has seen in recent times.
“I’m asking for the relevant authorities to look into it and treat it as urgently as possible in terms of having those drains cleaned and dredged, and perhaps even giving opportunities to the young men who happened to be on a block, because many of them are not employed.”
For his part, the president of the Route Two Maxi Taxi Association, Brenton Knights, when contacted, said the crash was an example of the need for more stringent regulation over the use of the Priority Bus Route.
“From time to time, we’ve seen violations not just from the public but also the police, the Coast Guard, the Regiment, and even the Licensing officers, and I make no bones about it.
“I know there may be provisions for some of them in certain instances, but the law of the Bus Route is that once you’re on the PBR, you’re supposed to have your pass on display or be in a government vehicle with the government logo.”
Knights said that while he did not feel that the PBR was more dangerous in recent times, he felt it was a very busy roadway that some drivers would be unprepared for.
