Father killed on way to AA meeting

The attempt by a father of two to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting on Saturday night ended in tragedy when he lost control of his vehicle and plunged off the Cross Crossing overpass. Businessman Ishwar Maharaj, 46, of Le Gendre Street, San Fernando, was flung out of his pickup truck as the vehicle bumped over the median onto Cipero Road.

According to reports, around 7 pm, Maharaj was proceeding south along the By-pass road in the vicinity of the San Fernando Licensing Office, when he lost control of the pickup. He then crossed the median before plunging onto Cipero Road where the pickup, still air-borne, crossed  another median and landed on the roadside.

Maharaj died on the spot after suffering multiple injuries to the head, upper body and legs. A party of officers from the San Fernando Police Station led by Senior Supt Lewis responded and cordoned off the area. Speaking at her La Romaine home yesterday, Maharaj’s estranged wife Vashti Maharaj said despite being separated from her husband it was a harsh situation to deal with.

Sitting with her two children Vasha, 19, and Videsh, 12, on their front porch, she described her husband as a good father and, despite having their personal differences, said he was a warm and loving person. Vashti said she suspected that he was heading to an AA meeting at Duncan Village when the incident occurred. She said he had a drinking problem but had managed to remain sober for two years.

She said: “We got the information from a friend of the family and my daughter told me to make sure about what had happened. After that, we went down to the scene. After living 19 years with someone, it is not easy to put it behind you.” She said Maharaj was looking forward to seeing their son Videsh, who attends the TML School in San Fernando, pass for Presentation College, his school of choice.

Now Videsh said that he plans to make his father proud as he gets ready to write the Secondary Entrance Assessment later this year. Maharaj was the proprietor of RR Dinanath Limited. In another accident, three persons were warded in critical condition at the San Fernando General Hospital following a two-car smash-up along the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension.