Teacher killed in accident

A 44-YEAR-OLD female school teacher was killed in a vehicular accident at Gulf View, La Romaine on Friday night while returning from classes at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Roanda Ballah, a mother of three, of Logie Street, Siparia, was being driven home by her husband when she was killed instantly while  stuck in traffic in the vicinity of Bamboo Junction, La Romaine. Husband Stevenson Ballah miraculously escaped unhurt. The accident occurred around 7.30 pm. Police have described the death as “roadhog madness” — the fact that Stevenson Ballah and his wife’s Civic car was struck while they were in a line of traffic waiting for the traffic lights to change. Ballah’s car was the last in a long line of traffic heading south towards the Bamboo Village traffic lights.

A Land Rover crossed the Gulf View four-road intersection and struck Ballah’s Honda Civic from the back. Roanda was sitting next to her husband eating a box of Chinese food. Ballah had picked up his wife at UWI and was on his way home. Roanda was pursuing a Bachelors degree in Education. According to police reports, the Honda Civic struck the vehicle in front of it, a Land Cruiser. The Civic them spun around and landed on the opposite lane in the path of a pick-up van. The report stated that the van slammed into the left side of the Honda Civic where Roanda was seated. Vishma Cook, who was seated in the van, received minor injuries. Ballah, a supervisor at Caribbean Ispat, could not contain himself when Sunday Newsday spoke to him.

He actually saw the Land Rover approaching him from the back. “I told my wife ‘why this man driving so fast.’” Ballah broke into tears when he said: “She slumped between the seats and was bleeding from her mouth.” Roanda, a mother of three children, died on the spot. She was a teacher at the Model Nursery school in San Fernando. Ag Cpl Mahendra Jadoo of the San Fernando Traffic Department, is investigating. In separate accidents yesterday, two vehicles skidded off the road in South Trinidad, leaving two drivers injured. Latchmepersad Koylass, of Fyzabad, was driving along the Mosquito Creek when on reaching South Oropouche, he slammed into a newly-built CEPEP shed. The Datsun 120 Y he was driving struck a tree, leaving the vehicle perched almost upside down at the side of the tree trunk. Koylass sustained injuries to his hands and face.