A Gasparillo man died on Sunday when his Nissan Tiida car flipped while he was heading south along the Solomon Hochoy Highway.
According to reports, Ashay Jaggan, 52, was driving along the south-bound lane of the highway near the Claxton Bay overpass around 4 pm when the accident occurred.
Jaggan, of Caratal Road, Gasparillo, was killed on the spot.
A 16-year-old passenger sustained injuries to her body and is receiving treatment at the San Fernando General Hospital.
The T&T Guardian visited Jaggan’s home yesterday, but relatives said they were too distraught to speak.
In a separate incident on Sunday, a Point Fortin labourer was knocked down while trying to cross the same highway, but in the vicinity of Chaguanas.
Reports state Peter Ramlakhan, 48, of Point Fortin, was crossing the Solomon Hochoy Highway when he was hit by a pickup van and killed.
His brother, Mootiram Ramlakhan, who lives in Chase Village, witnessed the incident.
The brothers had reportedly dropped out from a taxi on the shoulder of the south-bound lane of the highway around 10.45 pm.
Peter tried to cross the highway first and was knocked down. He died on the spot.
The driver of the pickup, said to be from St Augustine, was detained for questioning by police.
Their deaths have taken the road death toll to seven for the year.
Implement speed guns—Arrive Alive head
President of road safety awareness organisation Arrive Alive, Sharon Inglefield, yesterday renewed her call for the police and Government to implement the use of speed guns on the nation’s roads as a preventative measure.
Speaking to the T&T Guardian yesterday, Inglefield said that the current road death toll had now surpassed the comparable toll for 2015.
“So far we have had seven road deaths, four more than the same period for last year,” Inglefield said. “I want to urge our leaders and those in authority to launch the speed guns as a preventative measure in light of the fact that more people have died this year so far than last year.”
She sent out condolences to the families of both men who died in separate incidents on Sunday, but urged pedestrians to use walkovers instead of crossing busy highways.
“I want to once more urge pedestrians to use the walkovers that are in place. It is almost impossible to cross a major road when there is traffic, much less for trying to cross a busy highway where there are three and four lanes of cars passing at high speed.”