Two people were killed when the car they were in crashed into a truck and then slammed into a lamp post near Cumuto Junction on Monday night.
According to police reports, the accident took place around 11 pm. The driver of the white Mazda 3 reportedly attempted to make a U-turn at the Cumuto traffic lights on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway when the car collided with a truck heading east.
Both occupants of the car—Jamie Alvarez, 24, and Adrian Mitchell, 28, died on the scene. Police said the duo was heading to their Valencia homes when the accident took place. Alvarez is the niece of soca artiste Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez.
Alvarez expressed his sadness over the loss of his niece on social platform Instagram, saying: “Rest in peace my niece. Rest in peace. May the lord strengthen Eric and Joella in this time and the rest of us. May the lord see over this and guide all our actions accordingly. The grief is heavy but knowing you are in a better place eases the pain for a few. We love you, Jamie. Rest peacefully."
According to the driver of the truck, identified only as “Mohan”, he swerved to avoid hitting the car but could not manoeuvre in time to avoid a collision.
A passenger in the truck, Stanley Mahabir, was taken to the Arima Health Facility along with the driver for treatment before being released. Fire officers had to use the Jaws of Life to remove the duo from the mangled wreck.
Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, Mitchell’s mother, Lisa Mitchell-Mc Intosh, said she was now inconsolable as her son, a father of two, was the life of any party. She said her son, a tattoo artist and PH taxi driver, only got his car last month as a way to earn extra cash.
“He was a very family-oriented person, everything he did was for his family. I don't know why this happened to him, nothing could console me now.
He was the joy of my house. He was so funny and he was always playing the fool and always had us laughing. He always had something funny to tell you,” Mitchell-Mc Intosh said.
She added that his ten-year-old daughter, along with his wife, are both overcome with grief along with Mitchell’s siblings, while his son, four, is not fully aware of what happened to his father.