Young woman killed in Freeport two-car crash

Twenty-five-year-old Indrani Rampersad kissed her parents and congratulated them on their 36th wedding anniversary before she left for work yesterday morning. The next time the couple saw their daughter, her lifeless body lay on a tray at the mortuary of the San Fernando General Hospital.

The young woman, an auditor employed at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Port-of-Spain, died instantly yesterday when a car landed on top of the taxi in which she was a passenger. Rampersad, of Laltoo Trace, Penal, suffered massive head injuries, resulting in her head being split open. Five other persons were injured, four of whom are warded in a stable condition at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Police reports indicated that around 9.20 am, Glen Dickson, 36, a taxi driver, was transporting four passengers, including Rampersad, on the north-bound lane towards Chaguanas, in his brown B-14 Nissan Sentra. On reaching approximately 200 metres from the Freeport off-ramp, a blue Honda Civic driven by Yuri Toolsie, 20, of Couva, travelling on the South-bound lane, attempted to overtake a car and lost control of his vehicle. There were two passengers in the Civic. Reports stated that the Civic crashed into the median, went up into the air and landed upside down on top of Dickson’s car. One of the passengers of the Civic was thrown out of the vehicle.

Claiming it was his air bags that saved his life, Dickson said he assisted the injured passengers out of  the mangled wrecks. Rampersad, who was already dead, lay sprawled out on the back seat. He said another female passenger, who was also seated in the back, jumped out of his car when she saw the Civic coming towards them. The injured persons: Toolsie; Ronako Banister, 20, of Couva North; Marc Lee Wong How, 21, of Mamoral, (passengers of the Civic) and David Brewster, of Pleasantville, who was seated in the taxi, were rushed to the Chaguanas Hospital, from where they were transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital. Rampersad’s body was viewed by DMO, Dr Berger, who ordered its removal to San Fernando mortuary where a post mortem is expected to be performed today.

The young woman, who was pursing a professional accounting course, was travelling to Chaguanas to visit her school before going on to her job in Port-of-Spain. When Newsday visited Rampersad’s home yesterday her mother, Polly Rampersad, 58, was screaming inside the house and was too distraught too speak. However her husband, Deodath Rampersad, 58, said they had planned a family get together yesterday to mark their 36th wedding anniversary. Visiting the scene was a party of officers of the Freeport Police Station, spearheaded by Supt Nimrad, including Sgt Housen, Cpls Satnarine and Khan. Cpl Satnarine is continuing investigations.