Trini brothers killed in NY accident

DOUBLE tragedy struck a Claxton Bay family after two of their relatives — brothers — were killed in an accident in the United States last Thursday.

Kevin “Nicko” Sooknanan, 21, and his younger brother, Keegan, 17, died after the car they were in reportedly skidded off an icy road around 9.30 pm off the Southern State parkway in Bay Shore, hours after they visited relatives at Brent Wood, Long Island, New York. According to a report in New York’s Newsday newspaper, on Saturday February 21, the driver of the car — Randy Persad, 24, was “driving while intoxicated at an unsafe speed,” when the vehicle, a 1993 Nissan slammed head-on into a tree and split in two.

New York police, who responded to the scene, said none of the three were wearing seat belts. On impact, both Keegan and Kevin were thrown out of the vehicle. The teenage Sooknanan who was the rear seat passenger, died on the scene while elder brother Kevin was pronounced dead on arrival at South Side Hospital in Bay Shore. Persad remains warded in the Intensive Care Unit at Stony Brook University Hospital suffering head and other trauma injuries, and internal bleeding. Persad’s family, who now reside at Coconut Street, Brent Wood, originally lived at St Mary’s Village, Moruga. The Sooknanan boys lived at La Sophie Trace, Claxton Bay, and their grieving family have held a wake nightly since Saturday.

Keegan was on a four-month vacation visiting Kevin, who has been staying with his uncle and aunt, Rocky and Sabatee Abdool, in Brent Wood. Keegan was due to return to Trinidad on Friday. “I didn’t think both of them would be coming back for us to bury them,” their father, Bhadose sobbed. Bhadose, a fisherman, said he and his wife, Chandra, were asleep when they were awakened by a telephone call around 3 am on Friday, with the caller telling them of the fatal accident which claimed the life of their sons. With tears rolling down his cheeks, the father of four said, “I just get speechless. My wife ask me what happened, and I turn around and tell her. The tears just started to flow. Chandra began to bawl.” 

Kevin was employed in the shipping department of Global Technologies and was saving money for college tuition to pursue studies. He planned to become a physicist. Kevin was a graduate of the Gasparillo Composite School, with awards in Mathematics and Drama, the family said. Keegan recently graduated at CXC level from Marabella Senior Comprehensive and intended to further his education at the National Energy Skills Centre, Debe. Bhadose said he expects both bodies will be flown back home later this week and funeral arrangements are being prepared for Friday.