Injured mom not told of deaths

UP to late yesterday, Molly Sampath had not been told about the deaths of her daughter Carol Sampath-Ramdeo and grandson Shane Ramdeo. Family members do not know when and how they will give her the tragic news. Sampath was injured in the accident which claimed the lives of the mother and son on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway on Saturday. Molly’s husband Deane, who was numb with grief yesterday, said funeral plans will be on hold until she was told about the deaths. He told Newsday that that could only be done when doctors decide she is out of danger. Molly, 55, sustained a broken hand and head injuries when she was thrown out of her son-in-law’s station wagon after a truck owned by Jusamco Limited crashed into the parked vehicle. The truck landed on top of the car crushing its two occupants to death.

“I do not know if my wife can take that shock. She got injuries to her head and only when I get word from the doctor after a CAT-scan today, would I know if I could tell her and begin preparations for the funeral.” The grief-stricken man added: “They have to explain to me how the driver (of the truck) left the right side of the highway and ended up on the left.” The accident occurred around 2 pm on Saturday when the family was returning from Port-of-Spain. Chabinath Ramdeo, husband of Carol, 31, and father of Shane, 8, stopped to purchase pewah at the side of the highway, approximately 100 yards east of the Barataria Flyover. Carol, an accounts clerk at the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) was supposed to be dropped off at an accounting school in Champ Fleurs for classes. She was due to sit her final exams in December. Chabinath, had just opened the car trunk when he heard the screeching sound of brakes and looked up to see the truck veer from the right lane across the highway.

The truck hit the right side of his vehicle and dragged it across the highway and down an incline. A traumatised Chabinath, who managed to jump out the way, could only look on in horror as the truck landed on top of his vehicle, killing his wife and only son. Yesterday he was still in a state of deep shock and grief and was unable to speak about the tragic accident. However, his father-in-law said: “I cannot come to terms as yet with the deaths. This accident  must be investigated.” Several classmates of Shane, a Standard Two student of the Tunapuna Presbyterian School, expressed shock and cried openly when told of his death. Meanwhile, Barataria police are looking for four roadside vendors who can assist them in their inquiries into the accident. They disappeared from the scene minutes after the crash.