Senior reporter
Alejandro Sookoo will forever be remembered as someone who loved unconditionally, cared deeply, spoke kindly and trusted in God.
Dazed and struggling to accept the loss yesterday, relatives of the 15-year-old grappled with how best they could break the news of his sudden passing to his sister Shania Sookoo, 22.
Shania had been driving home from a church function with her brother on Sunday, when she reportedly lost control of her Nissan Note around 8.39 pm, near Bick’s Auto, Champ Fleurs.
Shania, along with her brother, who was a Form Three student of the St Augustine Secondary School—were at the time following their parents home as they were accustomed to doing.
The family resides at Glenside Gardens, Tunapuna Road.
It is believed Shania lost control of the car, which then skidded and spun out of control several times, before crashing into a wall and landing in a ditch where it burst into flames.
Relatives told Guardian Media they received a call about the accident as they arrived at Curepe Junction, unaware of just how devastating the incident was.
Making a sudden turn and racing back in the direction they had just come from, the parents arrived in time to witness the siblings being pulled from the burning wreck.
Emotionally gutted as the District Medical Officer pronounced Alejandro dead at the scene, relatives consoled one another as they raced to the nearby Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, with Shania, who had to undergo emergency treatment.
When Guardian Media visited the home yesterday, preparations were being made for the nightly wake.
This, even as relatives mentally readied themselves to return to the hospital for the scheduled evening visit with Shania, who was described as coherent and cognitive.
Unwilling to be identified, one person said while Shania did not require any surgery following the accident, doctors had scheduled a battery of tests on her to ensure there were no adverse or delayed effects as a result of the crash.
“She is very responsive,” the person assured.
Relatives said family and friends had been advised by medical practitioners not to reveal that Alejandro had perished in the crash, as the devastating news could hamper Shania’s recovery. Instead, they said it was enough that she believed he was warded at the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital.
Another relative described Alejandro as a quiet child who loved football.
It was only last week that Alejandro attended his school’s career day dressed as an engineer and was getting ready to select subjects ahead of promotion to Form Four in the next academic year.
One relative said he had been eyeing the Information Technology grouping, as Alejandro had always been into electronics.
Fighting back tears, the relative welcomed hugs and words of comfort from visitors to the home as they said, “He and I always had a love connection.”
Despite being a teenager, the relative added, “He was always underneath me.”
Worried about how Shania would take the news of her brother’s passing, as they two shared a very close bond, relatives said, “They were really loving to each other. They shared a great sibling bond.”
The wrecked vehicle, which was towed to the St Joseph Police Station, was completely gutted.
Gazing upon it in disbelief, some persons expressed surprise that Shania had survived the fire, and had not sustained severe injuries as a result.
One woman simply whispered, “This was God’s will.”