(Trinidad Guardian) Kerissa Dowrich was planning to wear a white dress her mother Karen Thompson got for her graduation at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, next week. But the 22-year-old San Fernando woman’s dreams were cut short when she was killed in a Saturday night crash along the South Trunk Road, La Romain.She was the only fatality in the two-vehicle smash-up.
Instead of feeling the pride of watching Dowrich receive her BSc in Information Technology and minor in International Relations with honours, the grieving mother now contemplates burying her daughter in her graduation dress.
Police said motorist Tony Singh was driving his pick-up South along the South Trunk Road, La Romain, with passengers Richard Ramlogan and Joshua Ramlogan. As he reached the traffic lights at Alice Street around 11.31 pm, another vehicle exited the street, reportedly broke the traffic lights and attempted to merge onto the southern lane of the South Trunk Road.
The pick-up crashed into the left side of the vehicle, causing both to lose control and collide with the metal barriers along the roadway.
Police and ambulance responded and found a woman identified as Dana Corbie and a male passenger injured in the vehicle. An ambulance took them to the San Fernando General Hospital for treatment. However, they found Dowrich dead in the driver’s seat. Investigators said they had not yet determined if she was indeed the driver of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Richard and Joshua the passengers in the pick-up also suffered injuries and were taken to hospital by an ambulance.
Speaking at their San Fernando home yesterday, relatives said Dowrich got a temporary job at FunStation, La Romain, and reached home around 9 pm. Her friend Corbie picked her up for them to get food and were said to be returning home when the accident occurred. Thompson said she last spoke to Dowrich yesterday morning before leaving for work.
“She had gotten up early, and I asked her what time she would finish. She said nine. I said alright, and I went to work, and that was it,” Thompson said.
The mother said she was unsure what happened but heard the other vehicle slammed into the car. She said her daughter’s friend, Corbie, does not drink. She said she had heard various accounts of who was driving and was hoping for clarity.
“She was a sweet child that everyone loved. It is hard,” the mother said.
Dowrich was described as being very helpful, and her mother could only say good things about her.
A relative said Dowrich was a God-fearing young woman who always wrote down her goals to manifest them to life. Dowrich was excited about graduation and wanted to do networking afterwards.
