Pedestrians warned, be careful while crossing

Batson expressed concern over the rise in pedestrian road deaths as the number of fatalities now stands at 39 for the year which accounts for 30 percent of the nation’s road fatalities.

According to reports, Warner, a pre-school teacher, was attempting to cross the Priority Bus Route near St John’s Road, St Augustine, when she stepped out onto the road and into the path of a PTSC bus. She was killed instantly.

A coroner’s inquest has been launched into the circumstances of her death, and investigators are trying to determine if there was any form of negligence on the part of the driver.

In an interview with Newsday, Batson, in his capacity as an officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, extended his deepest condolences to Warner’s family, noting that Warner’s death came one day after the United Nation’s world remembrance day for traffic victims.

“The United Nations considers pedestrians particularly vulnerable during road traffic accidents, as deadly force is transferred to a pedestrian’s bones and vital organs, resulting in several cases in a gruesome death,” Batson said.

“Vehicles have a bumper and a chassis which could crumple under the impact and still save lives.

“Pedestrians have no such protection.”