A woman was killed after a truck slammed into the vehicle she was in along the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension near Debe yesterday afternoon.
Sarika Ramesar, 42, of Debe, died at the scene while her husband Mitra, 52, and ten-year-old son Naveen were injured in the accident.
Guardian Media was told the family was returning to their Debe home in a silver Hyundai Tucson when the vehicle developed a problem and Mitra pulled off the roadway on the southern side of the highway, between the Esperance Overpass and the Debe Flyover, to await assistance.
However, around 4.30 pm, a six-wheeler 10-tonne Mitsubishi truck, driven by a 36-year-old man of Bristol Village, Mayaro, loaded with logs and travelling in the same direction, ran off the roadway. The driver reportedly applied brakes and lost control of the truck, which then slammed into the back of the family’s vehicle. Both vehicles flipped and landed in the bushes. The Tucson ended up further away from the roadway than the truck and settled in a ditch.
A motorist who went to the family’s assistance said he and another man removed the child from the mangled wreck. He was conscious but bleeding from his nose. The motorist said Ramesar was unconscious and pinned in the vehicle. He said Ramesar’s husband came out of the vehicle on his own.
Mitra and his son were taken to the San Fernando General Hospital via ambulance and were in stable conditions last night, police said. The truck driver was also receiving medical care at the hospital up to last evening.
Relatives who gathered at the site were seen crying inconsolably after learning of Ramesar’s death.
A relative told Guardian Media that Mitra is a jeweller and was returning home after a business transaction. They too confirmed the family was awaiting roadside assistance when the accident happened.
Investigations are continuing.