Two die in highway accidents

The first incident occurred around 1.15am when Keagan Harylagan, 19, of Boodoo Trace, Penal was driving a white Hyundai Coupe along the south-bound lane of the Solomon Hochoy Highway in company. Also in the car were Harylagan’s friends Dimitri Tahal, 18, and Varendra Jokhan, 23, of Penal.

Police reports stated that a short distance after passing the Gasparillo flyover, Harylagan lost control of the vehicle and the car flipped over.

Motorists contacted E999 Rapid Response and Mon Repos Police who in turn alerted the Emergency Health Services ambulance which arrived on the scene shortly. All three victims were rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) where Harylagan died while undergoing treatment by doctors.

Tahal, police said, was left paralysed from the waist down. Both he and Jokhan remain warded at the SFGH yesterday.

Tahal and Harylagan attended Naparima Boys’ College in San Fernando and graduated two years ago from Form Five.

Harylagan was an aspiring accountant enrolled at Omardeen School of Accounting. Tahal is on vacation from Miami where he is attending university. Mon Repos police are continuing investigations. The second accident took place around 4.30 pm on Sunday when an 80-year-old man died when the car in which he was an occupant skidded off the Churchill Roosevelt Highway and crashed into a lightpole. The driver of the car escaped unhurt.

Police sources said Leon Roberts was driving his vehicle east along the Highway when on reaching near the Vehicle Management Company of Trinidad and Tobago (VMCOTT), the vehicle skidded off the highway and crashed into a light pole, causing passenger Winston Prescott, 80, to suffer severe head injuries.

Prescott died while en route to Port-of-Spain General Hospital, while the driver of the car escaped with minor injuries. Yesterday, relatives of the dead man told Newsday Prescott was a DJ and loved music.

He left his Pinto Road, Arima home yesterday in company with his grandson to collect an amplifier in Laventille.

The accident took place as Prescott was heading home. Investigations are continuing.