2-tonne truck crushes mother, son to death

A mother and her son were crushed to death yesterday afternoon on the Churchill- Roosevelt Highway, near to the Barataria flyover. Around 2 pm Chabinath Ramdeo pulled up his Mazda 323 in front of a pewah vendor located 100 yards east of the Barataria flyover, leaving his wife Carol, 31, his son Shane, 8, and a relative, Bissoon Sampat sitting in the car. While purchasing the pewah he was alerted by a screeching sound and looked around in time to see a Jusamco Limited two-tonne truck drag his car with his wife, son and relative about 20 yards over the edge of the highway, before landing on the hood of the vehicle. Bissoon managed to escape but Carol, an employee of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, and her son were immediately crushed to death.

Investigations revealed the family was on their way to their Boy’s Lane, D’ Abadie home when the tragedy occurred. Realising the danger they could be in the three pewah vendors that normally ply their trade at that point quickly packed up and left. Reports reaching Sunday Newsday is that the driver of the truck told police that he swerved to avoid a car that had “bad driven” him when he lost control and ran into the car. Eye witnesses told Sunday Newsday that the car started to skid on the wet road, caused by a earlier downpour, which caused him to lose control. The injured Bissoon was rushed to the Port-of- Spain General Hospital for treatment while police had to quell tensions as several family members attacked the driver.  Barataria police are investigating.