Truck driver dies in crash

THE carnage on the nation’s roads, which in the past week saw at least seven persons killed in accidents, continued on Thursday night when a 55-year-old Central Trinidad man died in a crash which occurred a walking distance from the area off the Solomon Hochoy Highway where four persons died in a freak accident last Saturday. Wahid Ali of Esperance Village in California, died while being treated for multiple injuries, 45 minutes after being taken from the crash site to the Chaguanas Health Facility via an EHS ambulance.

According to police reports, Ali, who worked at Doc’s Engineering, was driving the company’s 40-foot container truck along the north bound lane of the Solomon Hochoy Highway around 10 pm. As he approached Edinburgh Village, Chaguanas, he lost control of the vehicle. The truck reportedly ran off the highway and ploughed through an embankment before plunging into a nearby ravine. Fire officials from the Chaguanas Fire Station had to use a hydraulic-cutting machine known as the “Jaws of Life” to free a mortally wounded Ali, the lone occupant, from the mangled wreck. 

He was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility where he died around 11.25 pm while being treated for various internal injuries. When Newsday visited Ali’s home yesterday, friends and villagers had gathered with relatives to mourn and to recount past happier memories of Ali. The dead man’s wife, Susan, was too distraught to speak to Newsday. Ali has two sons, Ian and Jason. Jason’s wife Reshma is expecting their first child — Ali’s first grandchild. Grieving relatives told Newsday that Ali was eagerly anticipating the birth of his first grandchild and was already planning on cutting back on his work to spend more time with his family. Villagers remembered Ali as one of the friendliest individuals in the village.

“A very hard-working individual. He previously worked at Caroni as a truck driver and worked part time at Doc’s. When Caroni closed down, he moved on to work for Doc’s on a permanent basis, since his passion was trucks,” a villager said. Ali lived most of his life in Phoenix Park, California, before moving to Esperance Village to live. Ali was buried under Muslim rites yesterday afternoon. Investigating officer PCs Samad was accompanied by acting Sgt Gittens, PCs Hosein, Baldrath and Santiah at the scene of the accident.