The quiet, rural village of New Grant reacted with shock yesterday after a horrific accident in Princes Town which claimed the lives of a father and his son and left two other members of the same family injured, one of them in a serious condition.
The mid-morning head-on accident involved a car and loaded ten-tonne truck in rainy weather. The accident caused traffic to back up for miles.
Fire officers who were among the first responders were so traumatised by the scene, their senior officer said they would have to seek counselling.
Police said Namdeo Harriram, 41, driving a black Toyota Altis veered head-on into a truck on its way to make a delivery to a supermarket around 10.20 am along the M1 Ring Road. His son, Lalchan, 25, who was seated behind his father, along with his father died instantly.
Namdeo’s seven-year old daughter, Tricia, who was also seated in the back seat, suffered broken bones.
His wife, Havanti, 40, who was in the front passenger seat, miraculously escaped with minor injuries.
Mother and daughter, along with truck passenger Nizam Mohammed, were taken to San Fernando General Hospital, where Tricia was admitted.
The driver of the truck, Dave Ramkissoon, was unhurt.
Namdeo’s younger son, Keshan, who arrived on the scene was too traumatised to speak to the media as he held his head in disbelief.
Police officer ASP Rohan Pardasie said preliminary reports indicate that the car was heading east “when he (the driver) encountered a skid on the wet road and collided with this motor lorry which was proceeding in the opposite direction.”
Pardasie said a relative, who was on the scene, told them Namdeo was taking his son, who recently suffered the chikungunya virus, to a doctor.
Neighbours at Daily Road, New Grant, where the family lived, remembered the father and son, “as nice people.” They said Namdeo was a safe driver.
One of Ramkissoon’s co-workers, who did not want to be identified, said he was transporting dry goods from Unilever, Champs Fleurs, to a supermarket in Princes Town when tragedy struck.
Fire officers had to use hydraulic cutting tools to remove the bodies of the two men from the mangled wreck of their vehicle.
Acting Fire Station Officer Lalchan Arjoon said while fire officers were trained to deal with those kinds of situations, they were not unaffected by the carnage.
"We are humans too,” Arjoon said, as he appealed to drivers to exercise due care and attention on the nation’s road.
“Especially when it is raining you have to adjust your driving conditions. Drivers have a personal responsibility to act safely on the roads. One life lost is too many.”
He said some of the officers who responded to that tragedy may be traumatised by what they would have seen but assured they will receive help from the Employees Assistance Programme.
ASP Pardasie is continuing investigations.