1 dead, 5 hurt

The driver and four other passengers are hospitalized nursing severe injuries at Scarborough General Hospital. One of the passengers, Patricia Corbin, 50, is said to be in a critical condition.

Villagers who heard the crash when the bus landed on its side at the foot of the precipice were the first to respond and mount a rescue operation. The bus was lodged in a bamboo patch.

Assistant Divisional Fire Officer David Thomas estimated the precipice to be about 80 feet deep. A clear path of destruction left by the bus is visible from the roadway.

Area Manager of PTSC Tobago Henry Cooke who was at the scene stated that he received a call from his operations supervisor that one of PTSC buses on its way to Scarborough was involved in an accident.

He said it would have been the first bus out of the village at 5 am after the same bus would have left Scarborough at about 3:30. The driver he said encountered some problems causing the bus to run off the road where it rested at the bottom of the precipice. The death of a passenger was most unfortunate, Cooke stated, and he said condolences go out to his family and sympathies to all the injured and their families at this time. The PTSC will give whatever support it must during this challenging period.

Also visiting the scene was Secretary for the Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (DIPU) Gary Melville who expressed how deeply saddened he was upon hearing of the tragic incident.

He said the entire executive of the THA was saddened and very concerned about what happened.

On behalf of the Assembly he extended sympathies to all those who were involved in the fatal accident and hoped that those hospitalised will have a complete and speedy recovery.

Thomas stated that the fire services received a call about 5.25 am that eight persons were in a PTSC bus which plunged off the precipice.

But when the firemen arrived at the scene, they realised there were six persons in the bus. Further assistance was provided by the police, the Community Emergency Response Unit (CERT) under TEMA and the Emergency Health Service (EHS). He said all were rescued but unfortunately Kerr passed before arriving at the hospital. Officer Thomas remained at the scene until late afternoon as an excavator was mobilized to lift the wrecked bus and to ensure that there was no other person trapped beneath crashed bus which was later towed by a wrecker. It was reported that the bus’ brake system failed which led to the driver losing control and the vehicle plunging down the precipice.

Investigations are continuing.