Venezuelan parents of accident victims call for full probe

THE parents of Venezuelan national Christina Sanchez yesterday called for a full scale investigation into her death, saying that those responsible should be punished.

Sanchez was one of five people killed in Monday’s vehicular accident at the Mausica intersection, Churchill Roosevelt Highway. The others who died are Sanchez’s fianc?, Amalgamated security guard John Solomon Jr, two Venezuelan firefighters, Andres Hugo Jiminez and Carolina Perdomo, and WASA employee Natasha Marcano, mother of two. The five people were killed in a vehicular accident when a six-wheel dump truck ploughed into three vehicles at the Mausica intersection. The truck, driven by Longdenville resident Wiltshire Modeste, is owned by Home Construction Limited.

In an interview at the Solomons’ home at Sun Valley Phase 2, Edgar Sanchez, father of Christina told Newsday that those responsible for the accident should be punished. He said before he and his wife leave for home they hope to speak with officials at the Venezuelan Embassy to discuss the investigations. Edgar, 43, and his wife, Carmen, 42, both business people, along with their only other child, Sudheyli, 15, arrived from Venezuela just before noon yesterday at Piarco International Airport aboard a Rutaca flight. They first went to the Solomons’ residence then to Allen’s Funeral Home, to see their first child, whose dream was to become an engineer. They broke down and wept and had to be comforted by relatives of Solomon.

Christina was described by her parents as a very quiet girl who studied a lot. They said her death was a great loss. Edgar said he and his wife were in Trinidad 20 years ago on their honeymoon and he did not think he would have had to meet his daughter’s intended in-laws this way. Solomon’s father, John Solomon Sr, echoed similar sentiments, saying they were happy to have met Sanchez’s family, but that he did not want it this way. “I was hoping to meet them since I love Spanish and would have had Venezuelan in-laws,” John, who first visited Venezuela in May last year, said. 

John said further that Edgar and Carmen were making arrangements to have their daughter and Solomon come to Venezuela for the Christmas.  They were to be married on August 16. Meantime, the bodies of Jiminez and Perdomo left Terminal 8 of the Piarco International Airport around 4 pm yesterday aboard a Venezuelan Air Force plane. Seven people including the Chief of Venezuela’s Fire Department, Perdomo’s brother, Jiminez’s cousin, a doctor from the Fire Department and three crew members accompanied the bodies. They are expected to be buried today in Venezuela. Solomon and Sanchez will be buried together tomorrow following a 3pm funeral service at the Greater Malabar Christian Centre.