Two die in Tobago drag racing accident

Keron Smith, 21, of Patience Hill and Lincoln Graham, 31, of Mason Hall, became Tobago’s first road fatalities for 2004 on Friday when the Nissan Sunny, being driven by Graham, was involved in a head on collision with a two-door Mazda sports car on the Claude Noel Highway.

The two occupants of the Mazda, Prince Francis and Christina Chapman, sustained broken bones and were flown to Trinidad. According to police reports, around 9.30 pm, Graham was said to be drag racing with another unidentified vehicle west along the Claude Noel Highway, when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the Mazda, which was travelling in the opposite direction. Police, paramedics of the Emergency Health Services (EHS) and Fire Services arrived on the scene shortly after and had to extricate Graham and Smith, who were said to have been ‘pinned’ in the vehicle. The four were rushed to the Scarborough Regional Hospital where Graham and Smith were pronounced dead. The other two victims were said to be in serious conditions and were taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital yesterday morning.

Senior Superinten-dent of Police for Tobago, Watson, admitted to Sunday Newsday that drag racing on the island was not uncommon and that the police were aware of its existence. “We know about the drag racing thing but I must admit that modern technology is beating us at this point. People are monitoring the movements of the police so that when we decide to make a patrol, we meet no one in the areas.” Watson said. He also pointed out that drag racing normally takes place in the vicinity of the Dwight Yorke Stadium at Bacolet and not in the area where Friday night’s accident occurred. Watson gave the assurance that the police in Tobago were taking steps to eliminate the ‘sport’. He told Sunday Newsday, “We have constant highway patrol in that area from 6 pm to 6 am the following day so we are working on stopping it (drag racing).”