Four close friends die in Manzanilla crashPublished: 18 Jan 2010
Camille Clarke
Four friends lost their lives in a vehicular accident on the Manzanilla Main Road early yesterday morning.
Rikki Balroop, 23, an employee at the Ministry of Energy;
Rickson Lalla, 24, an information technology student;
Marvin Seebaran; and
Sardiya Sharma, 23, a chemical engineering graduate, all died on the spot after their car flipped over several times and crashed into a Hilux. A report said the friends, all residents of the Sangre Grande district, were proceeding east along the main road at Sangre Chiquito around 1.14 am, when Lalla, who was driving, lost control of the car.
They had just left a “small lime” and had decided to go to Manzanilla beach, relatives said. The driver of the Hilux, Shane Leon, was taken to the Sangre Grande District Hospital where he was treated and discharged. During a brief interview at Balroop’s family home in Guaico, Terry Beekhee, Rikki’s uncle, said young drivers should pay more attention to road traffic regulations. “Most young drivers need to know what they are doing to avoid accidents...My advice to them is to study the regulations,” Beekhee said. Rikki’s brother, Hayden, said he was shocked to hear about the accident.
“I heard there were cars drag-racing and they crashed into the back of a Hilux,” he said. He had nothing but praise for his younger sibling. “He wanted to continue studying at John D (Technical Institute),” he said. “They were bright young people who would not do anything on a whim. They were the smartest people I know.” Balroop’s cousin, who refused to give his name, said he was saved, because he was “broke.” “He (Rikki) asked me continually to lime with him,” he said. “He was my cousin and we used to be very close. Money was short, or else you would be writing about me also.”
Lalla’s father, Gupta, expressed his condolences to the other families. “It is difficult to deal with...They grew up together,” Gupta said. Lalla was also Sharma’s boyfriend. Gupta said his son would have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer technology. Sharma’s mother, Sita, said her daughter had been hoping for a job in chemical engineering. “It was her field...She didn’t want to teach,” the distraught mother said, weeping throughout the brief interview. “I can’t function...that was my only daughter.” Manzanilla police are continuing investigations.
http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2010/01/18/four-close-friends-die-manzanilla-crash
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