Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
“Heartless!” This is how Prakash Ramroop described the driver who killed his father in a fatal road accident last Sunday evening.
Ramoutar Ramroop, 62, of Rochard Douglas Road, Barrackpore, died on the spot when a car knocked him over as he walked to his sister’s house for her to repair three pairs of pants.
CCTV footage showed a white car slamming into Ramroop before speeding off. His body was flung about 100 feet into the air and landed on the road before it was run over by a second vehicle. Neither of the drivers stopped to render assistance.
However, on Monday, one of the drivers surrendered to the police. A manhunt is now on for the second driver.
Recalling the tragedy, Prakash said he wanted justice for his father, who was a retired backhoe operator.
“I was sleeping when I got the message that my father got knocked down, and when I came outside, he was already dead,” he revealed.
He added, “People are driving recklessly on this road. The condition my father was in wasn’t nice. He got knocked down, then he flew up in the air, and another vehicle ran over him. They picked him up from in front of here (pointing to a spot).”
As he watched his father’s slipper strewn to the side of the road, Prakash struggled to hold back tears.
“When he got hit, there was blood all over. He was already dead, and the people didn’t stop. I didn’t see anybody. The second driver also didn’t stop. When he saw what happened to my father, he didn’t come out of his vehicle, he just drove off,” Prakash recalled.
He said even though his father was not perfect, he was a loving person.
“My father is all I had. Drunk or sober, whenever I came home from work, I could be sure that my father had a meal ready for me. Now I have nobody,” Prakash wept.
He added, “Whoever did that had no heart. No courtesy to stop, I hope my father gets justice.”
The distraught son called for speed bumps to be placed on the road.
“The speed bumps will be a good thing. This is not a highway. This will stop people from driving so recklessly on this road,” he said.
Meanwhile, the wife of the victim, Kaloutie Ramroop, also called for justice.
“He did not need to go that way. He was not sick. He worked as a backhoe operator for all of his life, but recently he stopped working, and our son started to pick up the slack,” she revealed.
“I would also like them to do something to stop people from driving so recklessly on the road.”
The widow expressed outrage that even after they killed Ramroop, the drivers failed to stop.
Kaloutie had been married to Ramroop for 30 years.
Police said they would be laying charges against the driver for dangerous and reckless driving following investigations.
Anyone with information on the accident can call Crimestoppers at 800-TIPS.