Birthday teen dies in crash after fete

Nineteen-year-old Rawatie Bissram was killed instantly yesterday morning on her way to her sister’s Aranguez home, after attending a birthday lime at Club Coconuts, Cascade.

Bissram died around 4.10 am yesterday and became this country’s latest road fatality. Bissram, together with her sister Nandhanee, 24, were at the time returning with two other friends from Club Coconuts  where they had gone to celebrate Rawatie’s birthday. According to police, they had left the party and were on their way home when the car driven by Nandhanee travelling along the Lady Young Road, in the vicinity of Neal and Massy,  suddenly swerved hitting the median and colliding with a TTEC utility pole. Rawatie, who was sitting in the front, died instantly on impact. Nandhanee, her boyfriend Colin Ramnath, 30, of Valsayn and another friend, Jacob Ramlal, 32,  of Gasparillo (both of whom were sitting to the back) were rushed by ambulance to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

Nandhanee was listed last night as unsatisfactory while the other two are at ward 41 in satisfactory condition. Sunday Newsday understands Nandh-anee contacted her youngest sister at her workplace, Juteram’s Auto Supply, Sangre Grande, on Friday afternoon and offered to make a party of the birthday by taking her out to Club Coconuts. The foursome, after partying all night were returning to Nandhanee’s home at 10B Johhny King  Street, Aranguez where she lived with her aunt, when tragedy struck. When Sunday Newsday visited the 7 Platta Road, Plum Mitan Road, Biche, where Rawatie lived with her parents, her mother and father were not there as they were at Nandhanee’s bedside praying for her recovery.

But a teary eyed Annesa Bissram, sister of the two women, supported by her relatives, described Rawatie as the life of the home. “Rawatie made everyone smile around her, she was the life of the party. She cannot be replaced, I don’t know what I would do now. “On Friday, she was just smiling with everyone and looking forward to spending the night with her sister and friends, now she is gone.” Another relative described the former North Eastern College, Sangre Grande student as a very ambitious person and a respectful child who would be misssed. And still even more bizarre shattering, Rawatiee death took place on her mother Monia Bissram’s 45th birthday.