Two die in highway crash

The two dead men have been identified as Rajendra Persad, a Guyanese national, and Daniel Alexander, from Maraval. Their deaths brought the total number of road fatalities for the year to 67. The driver of the Hilux, has been charged with driving under the influence as he failed a breathalyser test which police performed after the accident.

According to reports, at around 11.45 on Saturday, the driver, a 49-year-old contractor of Bonne Aventure Main Road, Gasparillo was driving his vehicle along the north bound lane along the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway. At the same time a white Nissan Frontier, driven by Persad, who is employed at Victoria Medical Laboratories, San Fernando, was travelling in the same direction, but behind the Hilux.

When the driver reached near the Chase Village Overpass, Persad’s vehicle slammed into the rear of his Hilux. Persad lost control of the vehicle and it flipped several times before reaching to a stop on the median of the highway.

The occupants were trapped in the vehicle, until police and emergency services were called and FSSO Mahadeosingh and a party of officers of the Fire Service arrived, and used a cutting instrument to free the occupants free from the vehicle.

Alexander succumbed to his injuries at the scene, and Persad was rushed to the Chaguanas Emergency Department, then transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, however Persad did not survive the trip to the hospital.

Investigations are ongoing.