Collision leaves one dead, two critical

AN EMPLOYEE of the Ministry of Health died on the spot, after being thrown from his vehicle during a two-car collision along the Solomon Hochoy Highway yesterday afternoon. Aaron George, 28, a driver of Silk Cotton Trace, Bon Accord, Tobago, died instantly while two other persons, 52-year-old Edward Piper and his son, Dale Francis, 23, both employees of Southern Sales and Services, were seriously injured in the collision and up to late yesterday, were being treated at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). The fatal accident occurred around 1 pm, along the south-bound lane of the busy Solomon Hochoy Highway, between the Freeport and Preysal flyovers.

George’s co-worker Derrick Simmons, who witnessed the fatal accident, told Newsday he picked up George at the Health Ministry’s head-office in Port-of-Spain, after fixing one of the Ministry’s trucks, which had broken down on the Solomon Hochoy Highway. Simmons said he dropped George back to the repaired truck which was parked at the side of the highway and that he (George) was supposed to have driven the truck back to the Ministry’s headoffices in Port-of-Spain. As Simmons was leaving in his private vehicle, after dropping George off, the accident happened. “He (George) drove down the shoulder and as he pull onto the highway, a van struck him from behind and the truck fling up in the air and spin around. He fell out of the truck on to the road. The truck landed on top of a TTEC pole and crashed into an embankment on the side of the road,” Simmons said.

Simmons, who was already driving along the highway in his private vehicle, in front of George (who was driving the Ministry truck), said the white van (which struck the Ministry truck from behind) ran off the road and crashed into the embankment. Simmons said he ran to his friend’s assistance, but George was already dead. Eyewitnesses said that Piper was screaming for help while his son, covered in blood, lay unconscious and pinned in the passenger seat. Francis and Piper were rushed to the SFGH in two EHS ambulances. The extent of the injuries to the men was not known up to late yesterday TTEC workers cut off the supply of electricity in the area while they repaired the lines which were pulled down during the crash. Visiting the scene were a party of officers from the Couva Police Station and Mon Repos Highway patrol including PCS Singh and Ali. The accident caused a massive traffic pile-up along the highway. Investigations are continuing.