Best friends die in crash

RONALD PEETAM, a 29-year-old father of one and his best friend Rajesh Mackoon, 28, both died instantly early yesterday morning when the car driven by Peetam skidded off the Uriah Butler Highway and crashed into a concrete pillar near Chief Brand Products. Two other occupants — Ronnie Mohan and Andre Barsan — sustained serious injuries and remain warded in critical condition at Port-of-Spain General Hospital. The two deaths have pushed the road fatality figure for this year to 179. During the same period last year, 183 persons were killed in road accidents.

According to reports, Peetam, Mackoon, Mohan and Barsan left their San Juan homes on Saturday night to attend a wedding reception in Chaguanas. The four reportedly left the reception and went to a popular club at Chase Village in Chaguanas to continue liming. Around 2 am yesterday, Peetam was driving his car north along the Uriah Butler Highway when he lost control of the car which started to skid. The vehicle ran off the highway and struck a concrete pillar killing Peetam and Mackoon instantly and leaving the other occupants with major head and internal injuries. Nearby residents who heard the loud crash and saw the wreckage telephoned police and an EHS ambulance. Police and fire officers arrived shortly after, along with District Medical Officer Dr Vinod Mahabir.

The bloodied bodies of the two dead men were removed from the car, while the other two injured men were taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Checks yesterday revealed that Mohan and Barsan were being treated for internal bleeding and broken limbs. At Quarry Street in Santa Cruz yesterday, Savitri Mackoon was in a state of shock over the death of her brother. She said that Rajesh and Ronald sold dry goods at the San Juan market and they were very close. She described Rajesh as a humble, hard working and loving person. The weeping woman said the last time she saw her brother alive was around 9 pm on Saturday, when he left home saying that he was going to a wedding reception in Chaguanas. “He was a good brother and we will miss him a lot,” said Savitri as she stared at a photo of her brother. Rajesh’s funeral is expected to take place tomorrow.

Outside the mortuary at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, Nela Peetam, Ronald’s widow, said that she was unsure how to break the news of the death to their five-year-old daughter. The grieving woman said Ronald was a good husband and excellent father. Yesterday, she was allowed to view the body of her husband while surrounded by close relatives. Nela said that she received a call early yesterday morning informing her that Ronald was killed in a car crash. She said that she felt someone was playing a cruel joke on her, but when she viewed the body, she realised that her worst nightmare was in fact a reality. Nela was given the bloodied clothes which her husband was wearing at the time of his death. Yesterday, ACP Mobile Nazamul Hosein issued another call to motorists to exercise safety when driving on the roadways. He expressed concern over the number of road fatalities within the past two weeks. ACP Hosein called on persons who consume alcohol to desist from driving and to appoint a designated driver. He also expressed horror over the excessive speeding on the roads.