It was two hours before the end of Mothers' Day and Henry Singh was on his way to give a gift to his 63-year-old mother, Dora Roopnarinesingh.However, before he got home, a white Mitsubishi van, driven by Jewan Hansrajsingh, 54, along the South Trunk Road, La Romaine, slammed into Henry's Ford Focus car, killing him, his wife, Seeta, 42, and her sister, Sumintra Singh, 55, on the spot.Henry's 26-year-old daughter, Sherene, suffered massive head and internal injuries and is warded in a critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital.Hansrajsingh, of Central Avenue, Lange Park, Chaguanas, suffered three fractured ribs.
According to a police report, Henry was driving toward Oropouche on the South Trunk Road, La Romaine, around 9.55 pm when, near Paria Suites, Hansrajsingh's white Mitsubishi L-200 van swerved onto his path.Police believe Hansrajsingh, 54, a supervisor with D Rampersad Company, fell asleep at the wheel.Henry had no time to veer away as the van slammed head-on into his vehicle. Still wearing their seat belts, he and his wife were pinned inside the wreckage.By the time passers-by stopped to render assistance all three were dead. Sherene was rushed by ambulance to the San Fernando General Hospital.At his Happy Hill Aripero Village, Rousillac, home yesterday, relatives were struggling to come to terms with the triple tragedy.
His brother, Clyde Roopnarinesingh, said he could not deal with the grief."My brother was a nice quiet man. He was innocent. He supposed to come by us for Mothers' Day but he spent sometime by his in-laws," Clyde said, then walked away crying.Roopnarinesingh said his brother and sister-in-law had spent Sunday visiting relatives. They went to the home of Seeta's brother, Deodath Maharaj, at Palmiste and were returning home when tragedy struck.Sumintra's grieving husband, Teeluckram Singh, said: "In all the years that we married, we never quarelled. She was a good wife, she was a nice person."He said Seeta and Sumintra were inseparable and wanted to spend Mothers' Day with their siblings.
Teeluckram said when Sumintra was leaving home Sunday morning, he saw her carrying a bag filled with clothes."I jokingly asked her is she was going away to stay and if she coming back next week. She laughed and said she will come back later. Now she is gone."Teeluckram appealed for the police to do a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.Police are calling for witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information can contact Insp Ramdhanie or Cpl Bruce at 652-1771 ext 230.Autopsies will take place today at the Forensic Science Centre, St James.
Meanwhile, police also are investigating the cause of the crash which claimed the life of Tyron Sargeant, 26, of Forres Avenue, Fyzabad.Police said Sargeant was travelling with his friend, Kwasi Fraser, 23, when Fraser lost control of his van around 9 pm on Friday and the vehicle slammed head-on into a concrete wall at the Cross Crossing Interchange, San Fernando.Sargeant was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he died yesterday morning. Fraser remains warded in a stable condition at the San Fernando General Hospital.Cpl Ali and Cpl Bruce, of the San Fernando Police Station, are continuing investigations.