By Nalinee Seelal Sunday, January 13 2013

A 33-year-old Curepe man and an unidentified female companion were killed instantly when the car in which they were occupants ran off the roadway in the vicinity of the Caroni overpass early yesterday.

The driver Wade Stuart Mills of Lyndon Street, Curepe struck an electricity pole which later trapped him and his companion inside the vehicle. Eye witnesses to the accident told Sunday Newsday the car was being driven at a fast speed and they also noted that at some point the car was seen swerving dangerously.

Reports are, when police arrived on the scene, the two victims appeared to be lifeless and fire officers from the Chaguanas Fire Station used a special piece of equipment known as the “jaws of life” to free the bodies of the two from the mangled wreck of the vehicle.

Relatives of the driver were contacted and they were quickly at the scene where they viewed the bodies. Sunday Newsday understands the female victim was first identified as being from Penal, but when distressed relatives went to the mortuary to view the body they discovered that it was someone else.

Up until late yesterday the dead woman remained unidentified as no form of ID was found on her body.

Sunday Newsday also understands that the fallen electricity pole resulted in a loss of electricity in the area of the accident and scores of motorists stopped to view the wreckage and bodies. The two deaths pushed the road fatality to seven for the year.

Yesterday Superintendent Johnny Abraham of the Central Division told Sunday Newsday only on Friday, he and his officers carried out roadblock exercises throughout the division, and stop and search took place with over 200 drivers.

Superintendent Abraham said officers of the division have literally been begging motorists, especially persons returning home during the early hours of the morning, to exercise extreme caution on the nation’s roadways.

He said that seven persons being killed for the year is seven too many, and urged other drivers to desist from drinking and driving, or driving at a fast speed.

He further advised his team of officers will be out during the Carnival season to deal with drunk driving and it is his intention to have police officers carry out patrols especially along the Uriah Butler Highway in the early hours of the morning to deal with road hogs and drunk divers.