(Trinidad Express) A three-car smash-up along the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway on Tuesday night left two people dead, one of them a police officer.
Three others were hospitalised following the accident, which occurred around 9 p.m. along the north-bound lane of the highway after the Ato Boldon Stadium.
The dead men have been identified as Special Reserve Police officer Kevin Faustin, 40, of Harold Fraser Circular, Valsayn, and Jonathan Adams, 63, of Summit Drive, Calvary Hill, San Juan.
Faustin died at the scene of the crash while Adams was pronounced dead on arrival at the Couva District Hospital.
Faustin, who was last assigned to the Cumuto Police Station, was the cousin of Sgt Roger Alexander, head of the North Eastern Division Task Force.
Alexander, during a brief telephone interview yesterday, described Faustin as a very cool person who often kept to himself.
“He was very dedicated to his job and a very hard worker,” Alexander said.
Lidma Charles, Faustin’s mother, in a telephone interview told the Express that her family, including Faustin’s friends and co-workers at the Cumuto Police Station and Rhand Credit Union on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, were shocked at his untimely passing.
Faustin was employed as a security guard at the credit union and also an SRP with the Police Service, which he joined some three years ago.
“He was the best person you ever knew. Everybody has been crying and asking why good people can’t stay. He was such a sweetheart and I don’t know what caused his death.
“He was such a nice person and right now my home just packed with people in mourning,” Charles said.
She added at the time of the incident, Faustin was on his way to her Gonzales Village, Point Fortin home.
Charles noted that Faustin, who had few friends and often kept to himself, was full of life when she spoke with him earlier on Tuesday. She said Faustin has an 18-year-old daughter, a 7-year-old son and his wife was due to deliver another baby shortly.
Among those injured are Kinder George, 26, of Arima, Kestor Williams, 23, of Embacadere, San Fernando, and Ravi Seepersad, 43, of Whiteland, Mayo. They were the occupants of a silver Nissan AD wagon taxi (HCL 8575) driven by Damian Guerra, 38, of Cocoyea Village, San Fernando.
Police said around 9.15 p.m. Faustin was driving his vehicle south along the highway when it crossed the median and collided with the silver KIA Sorento SUV (PCK 8128) which was driven by Adams.
Both vehicles flipped several times along the highway before stopping metres apart.
Officers of the Mon Repos Highway Patrol responded and contacted officials of the Fire Service and the Emergency Health Services.
The incident caused a massive traffic pile-up along the north-bound lane of the highway which was converted into one-lane traffic as crime scene investigators searched the scene for clues.
Many who were stuck in traffic expressed concern that they could not reach their homes and destinations after the 11 p.m. curfew restrictions took effect in certain communities.
Even after 11.p.m. there were still motorists in traffic as police officers had to temporarily close off the road as the police photographer took images of the scene and fire officers cleared the highway.
However, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Crime Mervyn Richardson, when contacted on Tuesday night regarding the concerns that persons could be arrested by police for breach of curfew since they were caught in traffic, said provisions would have been made to facilitate those travelling from the area.
He promised to contact officers at the Police Command Centre to have a broadcast issued to police officers which would have pushed back the curfew deadline to midnight.
“We know that what happened was beyond the control of those stuck in traffic so we would want to give then an additional hour to make their way home,” Richardson said in the brief telephone interview.
Officers are working on the theory that Faustin may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Acting Sgt Mohammed of the Couva Police Station, who led a team of officers to the scene, is probing the incident.
