(Trinidad Guardian) A car enthusiast and his girlfriend were killed and two of their friends critically injured as their car crashed into a tree in Chaguanas yesterday.
According to police reports, around 4 pm, Kevin “Ketty” Frederick, of Chase Village, Chaguanas, and his three friends were on their way to the Defence Force’s Cars and Camouflage show, at the Heliport in Chaguaramas, when the accident occurred. Britney Balroop, who was in the front passenger seat, died hours later at hospital.
Frederick was driving his silver grey Nissan Almera in the north bound lane of the Uriah Butler Highway, near Biljah Road, when he crashed into a tree near to the Divali Nagar in Chaguanas.
The front of the vehicle almost disintegrated upon impact. The engine separated and was strewn metres away from the body of the car which landed in a ditch.
Scores of motorists stopped to assist fire officers from the nearly Chaguanas Fire Headquarters, who were on the scene within minutes, in removing Frederick’s passengers from the mangled wreckage.
Frederick’s friends, who were not identified by police, were taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where they were undergoing emergency surgery up to late yesterday.
Frederick was trapped in the wreckage and his body was removed by fire officers using hydraulic power tools. He was pronounced dead on the scene by a District Medical Officer (DMO).
Speaking with the T&T Guardian, a driver, who witnessed the accident, said he believed that it was caused by the speed.
“I was 90 feet behind him. I knew something was going to happen when he passed me. He was going fast and the car was dancing in the road,” the man, who asked to remain unidentified, said.
“You would think at this hour and with the speed guns people will be a little cautious. Look at the state of the car, he must have been doing some numbers,” another man said.
One of the driver’s friends, who arrived on the scene shortly after the accident, said that Frederick and the friends were on their way to the event at the Chaguaramas Heliport when the accident occurred.
“All of us were going to ‘Cars and Camo’ in Chaguaramas. He was in the front. I knew that there was an accident when the traffic started to back up, but I didn’t think it would be them,” said the man, who was still visibly shaken.
The accident caused a traffic gridlock for hours on the north-bound lane as only one lane was active. Police and fire officers spent close to three hours at the scene clearing the wreck. Chaguanas police are continuing investigations.
Pedestrian struck crossing highway dies
Police are also investigating an incident in which a pedestrian was knocked down and killed by a T&T Air Guard vehicle in Trincity on Saturday night.
According to reports, around 11.30 pm, T&T Air Guard member Sylvan DeFour and four of his colleagues were driving in the east-bound lane when they collided with the victim, who was attempting to cross the highway near the Orange Grove, Tacarigua, intersection.
The victim sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene by a District Medical Officer (DMO). The servicemen escaped without injury.
A release issued by the Air Guard’s public relations officer Flight Lieutenant Monique Pantin-Sprott yesterday, stated that the male victim, who remained unidentified up to late yesterday, ran acrosss the highway into oncoming traffic.
“The T&T Air Guard is working with the T&T Police Service as inquires are being conducted,” Pantin-Sprott said.
