Reporter
leeanna.maharaj@guardian.co.tt
The community of Mount St George, Tobago has been shaken by the deaths of fire officer Christian Adams and his wife Theresa Alleyne in a freak accident on the Claude Noel Highway on Thursday.
The couple’s neighbours, Bernie Jack-Greig, said the entire village was hit hard by the tragedy as they were well-loved in the community.
“The village is in mourning for him trust me. You see this village? This is a real hot one for us, hotter than pepper. We feeling this one. It’s not one, you know? It’s two. It’s not easy to go up in the church and see the minister carrying two dead from one place. It’s not easy,” Jack-Greig said.
The couple are survived by three children, two boys and one girl.
Jack-Greig was among scores of mourners at a wake the couple’s home on Thursday night.
Assistant Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Megan Morrison, who is from Mount St George, said: “The community has suffered a great loss...excellent family, excellent people. They were two of the most charming, humble people that I know. I don’t think anyone can say anything negative about them.
“I saw (Adams) grow up in the community, so I know him from a boy come up. He was very cordial. He represented the island in cricket as well, very humble guy. He eventually went to the fire service. His wife, Alleyne, was very pleasant, very helpful, and accommodating. She worked in the Division of Finance.”
Noting the circumstances in which the couple were killed, Morrison appealed to motorists to exercise caution.
“I think we all need to pay a little more attention, adhere to the speed limit, drive with care. I think some of us may have to take defensive driving. So, we just need to be a little bit more careful on the nation’s roads,” she said.
Adams and Alleyne were killed when a dump truck carrying a load of sand struck two cars and overturned near the Botanical Gardens in Rockley Vale. The vehicle in which the couple was travelling was pinned under the truck. During the removal process, the truck broke loose and tumbled down a precipice. As a result, the jaws of life had to be used to remove the couple from the vehicle.