THE lives of three young men were snuffed out in vehicular accidents at Mayaro and Freeport, within the space of three hours early yesterday morning.

The deaths of Nielson Edwards, 20, of Radix Village, Mayaro; David Lou Hing, 21, of Rest House Village, Mayaro and UWI student Neville Charles, 24, of Covigne Road, Diego Martin, have sent the road-fatality rate for this year to 62. Edwards and his long time friend Lou Hing, died instantly when they and other friends, Curt Philbert, 17, and Kyle Bholai, 20, went on a joyride to test out a modified car engine. The car they were in, ran off the Guayaguayare Road in Grand Lagoon, Mayaro and crashed head-on into an electricity pole. Miraculously, Philbert and Bholai walked away from the horrendous accident which claimed their friends’ lives. “It just wasn’t my time to go”, a pensive Philbert, who suffered only minor cuts and bruises, told Sunday Newsday.

In the second fatal accident, Charles died at Port-of-Spain General Hospital hours after the car in which he was a passenger, plunged into a river off the Solomon Hochoy Highway, after one of its tyres blew. Two of Charles’ friends, who are also UWI students, received minor injuries. In the first incident, around 12.15 am, Lou Hing was driving a silver B14 Nissan Sentra north along Guayaguayare Road, Grand Lagoon, with Edwards, Philbert and Bholai as his passengers. For reasons not yet known to investigators, Lou Hing lost control of the vehicle which ran off the road and slammed into a lamppost. Lou Hing and Edwards died instantly.

For the Edwards family, the situation turned more tragic when Nicholas Figaro, an uncle of Nielson Edwards, was seriously injured in an accident he suffered while en route to the Mayaro crash scene. Figaro, 32, remains warded at Sangre Grande District Hospital. According to Lou Hing’s father, Clyde, Lou Hing got his car back on Friday afternoon from the mechanic shop. For the last three weeks, the car was in the auto shop being changed from an automatic transmission to a manual five-forward transmission.

Still reeling from shock, Philbert, 17, said that Lou Hing was not speeding, and although he had a few drinks, he was not drunk. “We were only going about 80-100 kilometres and the road was almost clear. I was the one who was liming whole evening, not David,” Philbert insisted. He related that Lou Hing met him at a pub in Rio Claro on Friday evening around 10 pm and later picked up Bholai along the way, and then Edwards from his home. He said after they “limed” in Mayaro, Lou Hing was taking everyone home, and Bholai was the first to be dropped off at his home at Grand Lagoon, Guayaguayare.

Philbert said: “We were going over a hill and when we reached the top a blue van pulled on our side. David tried to brakes, and we ended up half on the road and half in the grass. When he tried to get back on the road like he lost control and hit the pole.” He recalled climbing out of  the wreck, and was told by onlookers that he started running up the road. “I wasn’t even thinking that something had happened to my friends. Only this morning in the hospital they told me they died.” The Edwards’ home was filled with sorrow yesterday as they mourned Nielson’s death, and awaited word on Figaro’s condition at hospital. Edwards’ sister, Sachelle, told Sunday Newsday that her brother was hesitant to leave when Lou Hing pulled up and wanted to take him out for a lime.

At Lou Hing’s residence yesterday at Popwell Drive, his father, Clyde, said of the deceased that he was “an enthusiastic boy who was willing to learn. He was my eyeball, my first born son and there will not be another like him”, the father said. Three hours later, UWI students and close friends Naresh Nanram, 22, of Warrenville Road, Charlieville; Javed Hosein, 25, of Depot Road, Longdenville and Neville Charles, 24, of Covigne Road, Diego Martin, were returning from a lime at Screamers Club in Gulf City.

According to reports, Nanram was driving his navy-blue Honda Accord north along the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway, to drop his friends to their respective homes. On nearing the Chase Village flyover, the right back tyre of the car blew out, causing Nanram to lose control of the car which veered off the highway, crashed into a light pole and then plunged into a river 50 feet from the highway.

Motorists who saw the accident telephoned the Freeport police. EHS ambulances and firemen arrived shortly and took Charles, Hosein and Nanram to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, San Fernando General Hospital and Couva Health Centre, respectively. Charles died shortly at the Casualty Department of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. “Neville was a quiet boy who studied hard and loved life,” stated a dazed-looking Marcelle Charles.

The grieving father sat on a chair next to a large portrait of his dead son, in the porch of their Covigne Road, Diego Martin home. He recounted how his son, who studied Natural Sciences, was to have graduated from UWI later this year and had planned to pursue a career in Oceanography. Cpl Ramdath of the Mayaro police station and Freeport policeman Cpl Mohammed Khan, are investigating the Mayaro and Freeport accidents respectively.

Latest : two persons were killed in a car crash last night on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, Valsayn. Up to press time details were not available.

Foreign doctors have joined their local counterparts in staying off the job as negotiations between the joint Regional Health Authority team and the doctors’ representative — the Medical Professionals Associa-tion of TT hang in limbo.

One source said about 20 Indian nationals working at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex on contract with the North West Regional Health Authority have been taking part in last week’s “sick-out”. “If foreign nationals could take sick leave why bring Cuban doctors, they may do likewise,” said the source. Few foreign doctors have been calling in absent at San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH).

Doctors are entitled to 14 days sick leave, but this was never meant to be abused, said Chief Executive Officer of the NWRHA Lennard Jaggesar. He said a doctor who issues sick leave to another doctor knowing this to be untrue could be “in trouble” with the Medical Board. He confirmed that foreign doctors have been absent. However, the NWRHA has been unable to get lists from Medical Chiefs-of-Staff naming those who have been absent from duty.

Jaggessar said the impasse of earlier this year had minimal participation by foreign doctors but this time is different. He said these doctors may have been convinced to participate to get better salaries or they may have been harassed and victimised. “It’s very easy to influence junior doctors.” Major hospitals —Port-of-Spain, San Fernando General Hospital as well as EWMSC continue to function in emergency mode.

Jaggessar said House Officers were brought in to work at the Paediatric hospital as consultants had said they cannot work without junior doctors. The Adult Priority Care Facility remains closed. He described services at EWMSC and PoSGH as “still poor”. Medical Chief-of-Staff of the SFGH Dr Anand Chattergoon said the current situation cannot go on much longer as doctors holding on are getting tired. He said the hospital is “barely managing so far”.

Police officers are deliberately not reporting crimes, to avoid doing follow-up investigations, claimed Opposition MP for Caroni East, Ganga Singh, on Friday in a motion on the adjournment of the House of Representatives.

Saying crime numbers were under-reported, Singh slammed: “There is no integrity in the statistics of the Police Service.” He said St Helena had recently seen an upsurge in crime including robberies and burglaries, but despite a letter from the Kiwanis requesting a police post, the local police superintendent had argued that the area had few reported crimes.

Singh listed the crimes committed against St Helena’s businesses in 2002 and 2003, saying: “R and RS Drug Mart — they were held up four times in 2002, and in January and February 2003. “That is not appearing in the police criminal statistics. Hong Kong City Restaurant was held up June 22, 2002 — not appearing in the official police statistics. “St Helena Drug Mart was held up on February 11, and April 8, 2003. Boeing Restaurant was robbed in March 2003. Fred’s Minimart was held up in November 2002. There have been four car-jackings in the St Helena area between November 2002 and November 2003.” Saying he had compiled this list himself, Singh said they did not appear in police records.

He said: “These are all crimes where the police came to the scene but they never entered the data in the statistical log in the Police Service. This is a serious matter…The crime statistics of the Police Service lack integrity. This is our experience, and it is our understanding that what is happening in St Helena and environs is a microsm of what is happening throughout Trinidad and Tobago…Crimes are reported but not officially recorded”.

Singh elaborated: “The police do not enter into the official documents the crimes committed. So then there are no reasons to go and investigate the crimes. So you get repeat offences taking place… “You will no longer have confidence in the ability of the police to respond. It will lead to a breakdown in civil society…Where the ordinary citizen is not in any position to ensure investigation of the crime, it will lead to anarchy. “Already recognising that they cannot depend on the police for protection, you have certain elements in the society offering protection to these residents, extra-State elements…The police are seeking to look good by not reporting the crime (claiming) ‘You have less crime in Trinidad and Tobago’.”

He said the police needed a proper way of accurately reporting crimes. Ministry of National Security Parliamentary Secretary, Anthony Roberts, gave figures for St Helena from January 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003. For the two local police stations he listed the crimes committed and those “solved”, but he didn’t define whether this term meant that an alleged perpetrator had been merely arrested or actually convicted. Roberts said Caroni Police Station had seen 109 serious crimes of which 19 were solved, 93 minor crimes of which 40 were solved, and 163 minor offences of which 27 were solved.

Of the serious crimes, under murder/shootings/woundings six crimes had been committed of which one had been solved. Of 25 burglaries, one had been solved. Of 39 robberies, one had been solved. Of 10 larcenies including cars, one had been solved. Of eight larcenies of house, none had been solved. Of nine crimes of rape/incest/sexual offences, four had been solved. Roberts said Piarco Police Station had seen 139 serious crimes of which 90 were solved, 71 minor crimes of which 56 were solved, and 145 minor offences of which 101 were solved.  The bulk of the serious crimes, some 58, were narcotics offences of which all were solved. Piarco reported no murder/shootings/woundings. Of 15 burglaries, one had been solved. Of 12 robberies, four were solved. Of eight rapes, four were solved. Of 21 larcenies including cars, just two were solved. Roberts concluded: “The Government is satisfied and supports the manner in which the police record data of crimes committed against the residents of St Helena, Kelly Village and environs.”

An 11-year-old boy with burns was yesterday turned away from the San Fernando General Hospital and sent to the Augustus Long Hospital in Pointe-a-Pierre, after according to Dr Anand Chatoorgoon, Acting Medical Chief of Staff, there was “still no coverage for the Paediatrics Surgery Department.”

In what he described as “the most troublesome department,” Chatoorgoon also explained that “the obstetrics and gynaecological unit is not providing coverage as both the consultant and the registrar called in sick.” He added that in light of this situation, Dr Sylvan Pierre, consultant at the obstetrics and gynaecological unit at the Point Fortin Hospital has offered assistance so patients could now go to him for medical attention in that area.

Chatoorgoon said that yesterday the hospital “brought back a patient with a septic foot who was transferred to the Southern Medical Clinic in San Fernando the day before.” He is now warded at Ward 6. The Accident and Emergency Department of the San Fernando General Hospital was yesterday manned by three out of the full compliment of six doctors. Head of the Department, Dr Stephen Ramroop, said that “a couple other doctors have come out to work”. He stated that “only the bad cases are coming in” and “there are doctors to deal with the life and death cases.” Both Chatoorgoon and Ramroop agreed that there is not much change at the San Fernando General Hospital as it is still operating in emergency mode.

THE INDUSTRIAL Court has ruled that regardless of an employee’s level of education, training, job position, whether he or she is hired to work in an office or a field, that employee must conduct himself/herself in an orderly and co-operative manner in the workplace.

The court ruled last Friday, in a matter involving the dismissal of a worker by Caroni Limited two years ago.  It said further: “No employee should either intimidate fellow-officers or threaten their safety in the working environment, while verbal abuse and threats of physical violence also cannot be condoned”. Such behaviour can only be described as counter-productive, the Court added.

The worker, Andrew John was dismissed by the company on March 29, 2000, for physical assault on a foreman, Jinku Jagroop. The All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union contended that the worker’s dismissal was harsh and unconscionable and not in accordance with good industrial relations practice. During hearing of the case, the Court found that John gave conflicting evidence when he admitted, having previously denied on oath, his involvement in previous acts of misconduct.

He admitted that sometime in October 1998, he had behaved offensively to a foreman, a supervisor, the Industrial Relations Office and the Secretariat Staff at the Human Resources Department. The Court observed “although John acknowledged that his reinstatement was due to the union’s plea for leniency, he testified that he never had any previous trouble with personnel in the company.   He described himself as a well-behaved employee”. The foreman Jinku Jagroop testified that the worker physically assaulted him and threatened him with a cutlass.

The Court said it believed the company’s assertions that on more than one occasion, John frightened fellow employees and threatened them with his cutlass to “cut off their necks and suck their blood”. It further observed that if verbal use is aggraavated by physical assault on an officer of higher rank, this form of misconduct warrants the strongest disciplinary action, including dismissal. With this in mind, the Court upheld the dismissal of John, claiming that it was  fair and in keeping with good industrial relations principles and practice.  The Court comprised Lloyd Elcock and Judy Rajkumar-Gualbance.