Car crashes in and out of house — driver killed

A “PH” TAXI driver of Fyzabad, who police  believed might have been trying to escape two hijackers on Tuesday night, died after his car ran off the old Southern Main Road, Pepper Village, Fyzabad, crashed through a brick wall and into the side of a wooden dwelling house and exited through another side of the house. The walls of the house, two bedrooms, the living room and dining area were demolished. The victim’s car, a white Nissan B14 Sentra, was left hanging from the top floor of the house by its two rear wheels. The driver, Denis Seeteram, 31, of Pepper Village, who lived a stone’s throw away from the scene of the accident and was returning home, died on the spot.

According to a police report, Seeteram was plying his car for hire along the San Fernando/Fyzabad route around 11.45 pm, when the crash took place. Martha Whiteman, who occupied the house into which the car crashed, told Newsday that she had just gone to her bedroom to prepare for bed when she heard a crash, but never imagined that it was a car that had crashed through her house coming in through one wall and exiting through another. “At first I did not come out to see what had happened and it was not until the neighbours frantically called out to me that I realised that something was wrong. “When I opened my bedroom door to come out to the living-room which is on the left, I saw this vehicle hanging out of one wall by its back wheels. I said what this car doing here and on my right I saw a big hole in the wall through which the car had come into the house.”

Whiteman is counting her lucky stars that she escaped death or injury. Police investigating the matter are working on two theories — a fatal accident or a hijacking which caused Seeteram to crash the car in an attempt to escape the hijackers. An eyewitness told Newsday yesterday that he saw two men running away from the crash scene. “One of them seemed injured as he was holding his head. He was trying to hide his face by pulling his jersey over his face. “The other man while running away turned to me and asked me what I was looking at. I did not see where they went.” Police reportedly found three cell phones in the wrecked car, one of which belonged to Seeteram.

Also in the car was a switchblade which they suspect could have been left by one of the suspected hijackers. A taxi driver friend of Seeteram told Newsday that he firmly believed that Seeteram was hijacked. “Seeteram and I were at the taxi stand at Mucurapo Street in San Fernando when I noticed two men acting in a suspicious way. I did not pick them up as my car was full. I believe they went into Seeteram’s car,” he said. Police officers led by Cpl Minors and Cpl Mathurin visited the scene along with District Medical Officer Dr Bhimsingh, who ordered that the body be taken to the San Fernando Mortuary. Investigations are continuing.