What started out as a fun New Year's Day excursion to the Maracas Springs in St Joseph, ended in tragedy yesterday, as southern mechanic Jason Ramdial perished in a car crash. Six others-Christine Esdelle, her brother Sheldon Esdelle, cousin Adrian Jules, all of Hummingbird Drive, as well as Robert Jupiter, Skyla Montano and Noah Alao, who were in another vehicle-suffered injuries in the collision. Police said Ramdial, 27, was driving his black Laurel on the south bound carriageway of the Solomon Hochoy Highway, when tragedy struck. Witnesses said they saw his car "dancing from side to side" on the highway, before it spun off the road, crossed the median, careened for over 300 feet on the northbound lane, before it crashed head-on into the front of a black Nissan XTrail SUV. Jupiter who was driving the SUV, was unable to avoid the crash. Witnesses said upon impact, the XTrail began spinning and came to a halt in the centre of the road. Montano, who was sitting in the front left passenger seat, was pinned in the wreck. She suffered a broken leg. Alao, who was sitting in the back, suffered abrasions.
Caption: Marsha Blades is consoled by a friend.
Ramdial, however, was flung like a paper doll out of the car. He was not wearing seat belts. His corpse remained on the ground for over two hours, before it was viewed by a District Medical Officer and removed to the San Fernando mortuary. Ramdial's friends, who went with him to the Springs in separate vehicles, burst into tears as they gazed at his corpse. Marsha Blades, his neighbour, said 12 of them decided to spend New Year's Day in Maracas. She said Ramdial was in an upbeat mood. "He was happy. He was normal. We were driving behind him and when we were coming down the highway, we see his car on the other lane. The accident had already happened," she wept. Other friends declined comment. A few of them sat on the road crying, while others paced aimlessly as they gazed in disbelief at the corpse.
Police took out a bottle of Hard wine, a flask of Forres Park puncheon rum and several bottles of Heineken from Ramdial's car. It is believed he was intoxicated at the time of the accident, police said. Spectators who saw the cache called on citizens to be careful and to always designate a sober driver. Residents who live in the nearby Tarouba settlement came out to assist the injured people. All of them were rushed by ambulance to the San Fernando General Hospital where they were given emergency treatment. Meanwhile, Jupiter's relative who identified himself as Jason, said it was time for Works Minister Jack Warner to build barriers to separate both carriageways of the highway. If this is done, Jason said, more innocent lives will be saved. Sgt Birbal, Cpl Dookoo and Actg Cpl Bachan of the San Fernando police station are continuing investigations.
Accident
Meanwhile security officer, Roxanne Joe Findlay of Evans Reese Lane, was killed around 7am yesterday. Reports stated that Findlay was a passenger in a B12 vehicle proceeding West on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, near the University of T&T, when a car proceeding in the opposite direction, slammed into her vehicle. She succumbed to her injuries. -Reporting by Shastri Boodan