Foreigners die in crash

TWO foreign oil engineers — one a Canadian and the other an American — died instantly when the taxi they hired to take them to Piarco International Airport collided head-on with another taxi along Old Southern Main Road, McBean, Couva, yesterday morning.

Denis Brian Shouldice, 51, of Devon, Alberta, Canada and Kenneth W Lewis of Petal, Mississippi, USA, were expatriates who worked as engineers on an oil-rig off Galeota Point, for Lennox Petroleum Ltd. Their company had been hired by local sub-contractors, Global Santa Fe-Oil Drilling (GSFOD) of Sweet Briar Road, St Clair. Police sources told Newsday both men worked and lived on the oil-rig for the past year and had just been airlifted from the rig via helicopter and dropped off at the Heliport in Couva, they then hired a taxi, to Piarco International Airport, where they had booked flights for their respective homes. At the scene of the crash yesterday, a spokesman for GSFOD told Newsday Shouldice and Lewis worked on a 28-day rotation basis, meaning after 28 days on the oil-rig, they were allowed to go home and report for duties 28 days later. The spokesman said the company would get in contact with the families of both men to break the tragic news. According to police reports, around 7.10 am, Shouldice and Lewis hired taxi-driver Leo Phillip of Church Street, Mayaro, who plied the Couva - Chaguanas taxi route. The men asked to be taken to the airport and boarded Phillip’s blue Sunny B14 car.

An eyewitness related the incident to Newsday saying, “the foreigners” car was speeding out of Camden Road, which is a side road off the Old Southern Main Road. The driver was supposed to have stopped at the junction.” On reaching the Main Road, the eyewitness said, Phillip’s car made a right turn and crashed head-on into a Datsun 120Y taxi, driven by Bharat Babwah, of Arena Road, Freeport, who was proceeding south along the Main Road, with five passengers on board. Police said the impact of the collision sent Phillip’s car into a tailspin, with the vehicle eventually mounting a pavement and crashing into a wire fence. Both Shouldice and Lewis died on the spot. Phillip, Babwah and his (Babwah) passengers — Marcus Mike, Ann Ifill, Madan Sahadeo, Ganesh Gopaul and Holy Faith Convent student Dana Manwarren, sustained minor injuries and were taken to the Couva District Hospital where they were all medically examined, x-rayed, treated and discharged. Couva police led by Insp Neil Quash, Sgt Jackson, Cpl Mohammed and investigating officer PC Latiff Khan visited the scene along with DMO Dr Mahabir, who viewed the bodies and ordered them removed to the mortuary at the Forensic Science Centre, Federation Park, St James. Both vehicles were later towed to the Couva Police Station. Police sources told Newsday both the Canadian and US Embassies would be notified and informed of the engineers’ deaths so their respective families could be contacted and arrangements made to get the necessary permission for autopsies to be carried out. After the autopsies are carried out arrangements would then be made to have the bodies flown to their respective homes for burial. Asked as to what type of compensation (if any) would be made to the engineers’ relatives, the spokesman for GSFOD said, “our company will follow policy procedures accordingly on this matter.”