Three die in fiery Trinidad crash

Justin Hayes
Isaiah Kyle

(Trinidad Guardian) Three people were killed following a fiery, early Sunday morning crash along the Western Main Road, Westmoorings.

The accident saw the driver of the car being burnt to death when he was trapped inside the vehicle.

Two others died at the hospital. Another is fighting for his life.

The victims have been identified as Jorrel Williams, 19,

Jorrel Williams

of 119 Belleron Street, Point Cumana, Justin Hayes, 21, and Isaiah Kyle, both also from Point Cumana.

The fourth who was injured – was only identified as ‘Toi’.

Up to press time, he was said to be “still fighting for his life” and on life support.

According to a police report, at about 4:50 am vehicle PDB 9962, a blue Hyundai Elantra, which was believed to be travelling at a high rate of speed in a westerly direction along the Western Rain Road, Westmoorings, when on reaching an area just after the Westmoorings bridge/WASA pump station, the driver lost control and hit an iron fence post on a compound on the southern side of the road.

Upon impact, police said, the vehicle spun several times and when it finally stopped it burst into flames. The driver, Williams, was trapped in the vehicle and was burnt to death while the three other occupants were taken to the St James Medical Facility via ambulance.

Hayes was pronounced dead at hospital, while Luke, who was unresponsive, upon arrival at the hospital was sent for a CT scan. Kyle was pronounced dead just after midday.

The fourth victim, ‘Toi’ also received emergency medical care and is listed in a critical condition at hospital.

A video making the rounds on social media, showed the car driving in the wrong direction – on the opposite side of the Western Main Road, when it should have been on the other end.

This though was not confirmed by police.

Yesterday, when Guardian Media visited the families of all three victims, all of them explained that they were in shock and very distraught and could not “find the strength to talk to the media about their loved ones who died in the horrible accident.”

However, Hayes’ mother, Leseli Ashaki said she had spoke to her son on Saturday night to “check in with him.”

She told us, “I called him and told him not to be out on the streets and he said he was not going anywhere then to hear this it is very shocking and overwhelming for me,” Ashaki said.

Ashaki said her son would have been celebrating his 22nd birthday next month and was due to migrate to Canada to live with his father but had one obstacle in his way – a court case.

“He had two cases before the Court and one got thrown off so we expected that when he was to go on the 28th of this month that that too would have been dismissed. His police record was the only thing that he was waiting on for him to migrate with his dad. He was the only child for his father. He worked as a labourer.”

At the scene of the crash bereaved members of the families placed flowers and three candles to remember the young lives cut short.