by RHONDOR DOWLAT
A Swissport worker at the Piarco International Airport is this country's latest road fatality statistic.
The toll now stands at 51.
Rudra Sookdeo, 40, of Coalmine in Sangre Grande died instantly when a vehicle crashed into him while driving along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway on Monday morning.
The driver of the other vehicle was charged on Monday afternoon for driving under the influence of alcohol after a breathalyzer was administered to him at the hospital.
According to a police report, shortly after 3am the 30-year-old driver of a black Nissan Navara said he was heading east along the highway when he heard an explosion in the vicinity of Foodbasket Marketplace in Arima.
The driver lost control of the van which crossed the median and crashed head-on with a grey Honda Civic which was being driven by Sookdeo.
Officers from the Arima Fire Station who visited the scene had to use the hydraulic cutter or the jaws-of-life to free Sookdeo’s body from the mangled wreck.
The driver of the van was taken to the Arima District Hospital for minor injuries.
Police said he also complained of severe chest pains.
However, he was later charged for drunk driving.
The driver will appear before an Arima magistrate on Tuesday.