A 27-year-old Charlieville man died in an early morning accident near the Couva Interchange yesterday.
Ricardo Ramjattan, a facilities co-ordinator with Prestige Holdings, died instantly when his body was flung from his vehicle and landed on cable barriers on the median of the Solomon Hochoy Highway. His friend Esperanzza Berallo, 24, a Venezuelan national, is warded in stable condition at the San Fernando General Hospital.
Police said Ramjattan was on the southbound lane of the highway when he lost control of his black Bluebird Sylphy at around 5.45 am. He was thrown out of the vehicle which landed on its hood on the median.
Relatives, who gathered at Ramjattan’s home at Joe Lane, Kolahal Road, on hearing news of his death were too distraught to speak. However, a close friend, Andy Samlal, who is married to Ramjattan’s cousin, described him as a good person.
He said he believed Ramjattan, who lived with his parents and was the eldest of their four children, was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident.
“He did not drink alcohol, he was not into drugs. He was always normal and very helpful,” said Samlal who explained that hours earlier Ramjattan had picked up Berallo from her workplace, Southern Edge in La Romaine, and they went liming in Couva.
“It is a normal routine for them to hang out after work. She has been living here about three or four years now,” he said. “I was with him until about 11 pm and then we went our separate ways. He was normal.”
Samlal said he found out about the accident from a friend who saw gruesome images of Ramjattan’s body posted in a WhatsApp chat.