Rio Claro mourns its dead

THE COMMUNITY of Glod Road, Rio Claro, was plunged into mourning on Saturday night, and spent yesterday erecting tents to hold wakes for five young men who were killed in a vehicular accident a short distance from their homes.

Dead are: Lutchman Ramdass, aka “Zone”, 25; his brother, Rohan, aka “Billy”, 22; their cousin, Regan Pulchan, 19; and friends Pooran Bissoo, 22; and Navin Sieusanker, 18, who all lived at Glod Road.

The five young men, their families told Newsday, spent almost every waking minute with each other, and it was no surprise that they had died together. Newsday learned that they planned to attend a graduation ball and were headed to Rio Claro to purchase a duck to cook later that evening when tragedy struck.

Lutchman Ramdass was the driver of a Nissan Bluebird that crashed head-on into a four-tonne trunk along Naparima Mayaro Road shortly before six o’clock Saturday evening. The five men died on the spot as their car crashed into the four-tonne truck. The driver and Bissoo, who were in the front seats, were killed instantly while the three others died within minutes of each other at the scene.

The truck driver — Reynold Ali, of Cunjal Road, Barrackpore — escaped with minor injuries and was treated and discharged at hospital.

According to a police report, at about 5.45 pm Ali was proceeding west along Naparima Mayaro Road in the vicinity of the 19 1/2 mile mark at Fonrose Village, Poole. The police report stated that upon nearing the Poole Bridge the green Nissan Bluebird driven by Lutchman Ramdass was proceeding towards Rio Claro when he collided head on with a Mitsubishi four-tonne truck. Witnesses told police that the car was overtaking a vehicle parked in his lane when upon rounding a corner the driver slammed his brakes, but skidded almost 50 feet and crashed into the truck. District Medical Officer Dr Fagbola pronounced the five dead at the scene.

Newsday was told that Ramdass’ father, Daveanand, was at the scene within moments of the accident.

Yesterday, the families of the five said the young men spent Saturday liming with four of them having a special event to celebrate. Lutchman Ramdass celebrated his second anniversary on Tuesday, while his brother, Rohan, turned 22 on Thursday. Bissoo was a newly-wed and was going to start his married life in his newly built home next week. Sieusanker was excited about attending a graduation ball at Tableland High School that evening. The five, who worked as labourers in a pineapple field at Rio Claro, had received their salaries on Friday evening.

And as the five houses within stone’s throw of each other erected tents to hold wakes for the young men, the sister of one of the deceased cried out for other youths to learn a lesson from the tragedy. Bissoo’s sister, Gaytri Sampath said she hoped the deaths sent a message to youths. Not one life was lost here, but five friends. “They went to school together, went fishing and hunting together, and were together everyday. But we just lost everyone and it is really traumatising,” the deceased’s sister wept.

The mother of the Ramdass brothers, Deokie, said, “I just saw them in a car and I didn’t know where they were going. I wanted to call them back but for some reason I just sat down and watched them. I didn’t want my children to leave me,” she cried.

Sieusanker’s mother, Ashidan, said her son, Navin, was already dressed in a suit on which he spent almost $1,000 when he took a ride with the others to go to Rio Claro. His mother wept and said: “He put on his jacket and tie and he looked so good. That was the best I ever saw him look. He told me he was going to take a picture in a studio and took a ride with them. I didn’t know that was the last I was going to see him dressed up.”