Mother of three dies in crash Elizabeth Bridglal...

Elizabeth Bridglal, 32, of Monkey Town Village, Barrackpore, a front seat passenger in the family car, died on the spot. Her husband Devinish, 35, sustained head injuries, their nine-year-old son, Emerald, and daughter Deliza,15, suffered injuries to their hands, feet and back. The woman’s niece Vishacar, 15, also sustained injuries to her hands and leg. They are warded at San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). The driver of the pick up van also involved in the collision sustained injuries to his neck. He is warded at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Medical sources confirmed all of the survivors are listed in a stable but serious condition and are being closely being observed.

According to a police report, at about 4 am yesterday Devinish was proceeding south along the M2 Ring Road, in the vicinity of Diamond Village, when the accident occurred. Reports said while driving around a corner, Devinish’s car and a grey Toyota Hilux pick-up van, heading in the opposition direction, collided.

Reports said Fire Services officers used the ‘Jaws of life’ to free the passengers who were trapped in the back seat of Devinish’s car. Bridglal was in the front seat.

A district medical officer pronounced Bridglal dead at the scene while an ambulance rushed the other occupants to the hospital.

At the family home in Barrackpore yesterday, Bridglal’s sister-in-law Usha Sundar, 46, said the family members were on their way home after attending a birthday party of a friend in San Fernando.

“My brother is always a safe driver, he is always extremely careful on the road. He said before the accident he saw this van swerving on the road and he tried to pull away, but it was too late,”she wept. “I just want to wake up and this will all be a dream, it hurts so much.” She said Bridglal was looking forward to spending Christmas Day with her family and had made plans to purchase gifts for her children yesterday. “She was going to buy her children gifts today (Christmas Eve) and she told me she had some baking and cooking all of which she was going to finish before Christmas,” she said. Sundar said when she got the news of the accident “the joy of Christmas left her immediately”.

“We cannot celebrate Christmas here, we now have to plan for her funeral, everything about Christmas has stopped.

Elizabeth (Bridglal) was like a sister to me, we were very close.

I don’t even know how to begin to cope with this,” said Sundar.

She described Bridglal as a loving, kind and family-oriented person.

Bridglal’s elder son, Emery, 10, was at the home of relatives in Barrackpore at the time of the crash. He was later told of the tragedy that befell his mother, father and siblings. The mangled cars were taken to the San Fernando Police Station. Investigations are continuing.