Engineer killed crossing Bus Route

IN  the latest and the 111th road fatality in the country for this year, a 23-year-old engineer was knocked down and killed by a red-band maxi-taxi  while attempting to cross the Priority Bus Route (PBR) east of the Macoya intersection on Saturday. According to police reports, Richard Campbell was driving his maxi-taxi east along the PBR around 10 pm when he heard a crashing sound. When he pulled to the shoulder of the PBR and checked the road, he spotted the lifeless body of Anderson Sooklal lying in the road. Officers from the Tunapuna Police Station were alerted and arrived minutes later with the District Medical Officer. The driver of the maxi-taxi was interviewed and the vehicle, which had a dent to its front left side was taken to Tunapuna Police Station.

After viewing Sooklal’s body, the District Medical Officer ordered it removed to the Port-of-Spain Mortuary where an autopsy is expected to be carried out today. At Sooklal’s home in Moono Street, Sangre Grande shocked relatives and friends gathered to comfort each other. The victim’s aunt Indra Ali told Newsday Anderson left her home around 9 pm on Saturday, saying he was going Macoya to meet some friends. The grieving woman said Anderson was like her own son and he called her “Ma”. The crying woman said she was contacted by Tunapuna police on Saturday night, who told her of the fatal accident.

As tears streamed down her face, Ali revealed Anderson’s parents left on Wednesday for New York where they were supposed to spend three weeks. However, on receiving news of their son’s death, they hastily booked a flight back home. Ali who was in contact with Sooklal’s parents, said both the victim’s mother and father were in a state of shock and disbelief. Ali described Sooklal as a “gem of a person” who was a well-rounded, honest and hard-working person. She said he had a bright future and was employed at Hydro Tech in Guayaguayare. Neighbours of the dead man said he was a respectful person and was very close to his three brothers and sister. Tunapuna police are investigating. This is the second death to occur on the Priority Bus Route within the past 48 hours, with the first being that of Winston Monderoy, a maxi-taxi driver who was shot dead while plying his vehicle for hire on Friday night.