Two days after the family of accident victim Ravindra Gattoo marked the first anniversary of his death, Southern Division police arrested and charged truck driver Reynold Boodlal with causing the child’s death.
Gattoo was just three years old when he died on December 29, 2014.
Boodlal, 44, was arrested by police on December 31, last year.
On the day of the accident, Ravindra, his mother Omattee Gattoo, his six-year-old sister, Stacy, all of Bejucal, Cunupia, and his grandparents, Laloutie Balraj and Balraj Maniram of Barrackpore were headed north along the M2 Ring Road, Picton, in a four-door pickup driven by Gattoo’s cousin Kumar Ramsubhag.
Boodlal, of Barrackpore, was heading south along the same roadway, when he collided with the pickup.
Ravindra was killed instantly.
In court yesterday, Boodlal stood patiently as Magistrate Natalie Diop read six charges arising out of the accident to him.
Omattee Gattoo and her husband Rocky sat silently in the courtroom and looked on as the charges were read.
Attorney Ravi Ratiram represented Boodlal.
Boodlal faces five charges of causing grievous bodily harm by wanton driving on December 29, 2014 while being the driver of a truck.
The five charges were in relation to the injuries sustained by Laloutie Balraj, Stacy Gattoo, Balraj Maniram, Kumar Ramsubhag and Omattee Gattoo.
The sixth charge alleges that he drove dangerously on the road causing the death of Ravindra.
Ratiram told the court his client was a father of three and a businessman, who owned a fleet of trucks.
Court prosecutor Raymond Dookhoo said Boodlal had one pending matter in his criminal record for a minor offence which had already been resolved.
Ratiram asked the court for reasonable bail and a cash alternative and said his client had been in police custody since December 31 last year, when he was arrested.
He asked the prosecution for disclosure of the post mortem report on Ravindra, medical certificates for those injured and copies of any utterances allegedly made by Boodlal at the time of the incident.
Diop told him in light of the number of the charges and the nature of the charges any cash alternative would be relatively high.
She then fixed bail of $200,000 with a surety to be approved by a clerk of the peace.
The cash alternative was set at $90,000.
The matter was adjourned until February 1.