Probe ordered after highway crash claims 2 lives

Investigations are underway into yesterday’s fatal highway crash that claimed the lives of Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) driver Munsaf Khan and SWAT Estate Police Company officer Roxanne Phillip.

Speaking at the scene in Freeport yesterday, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Eli Zakour said preliminary reports indicated that as the bus proceeded south along the Solomon Hochoy Highway, shortly after the Freeport interchange, a flatbed truck suddenly pulled out from the shoulder. In trying to avoid a collision, the PTSC bus crashed into the truck.

Highway Patrol officers evacuated 23 passengers, and ambulances took them and the truck driver to the hospital.

PTSC officials, OSHA representatives and Licensing officers were also on-site conducting assessments. Zakour confirmed that a full investigation will follow.

In a subsequent release, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation urged all road users to exercise “the utmost care and responsibility” on the nation’s roads.

“Road safety is a shared duty, and every act of vigilance, including observing speed limits, obeying traffic regulations, and respecting fellow road users, plays a vital role in protecting lives. The Ministry remains committed to improving road safety and appeals to every stakeholder and member of the public to support this collective effort.”

Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander, who was en route to South Trinidad, also stopped at the crash site to lend support to the various responding agencies. He assured that the accident would be investigated and that “the chips will fall where it may.”

Alexander also expressed concern about families learning of tragedies through social media.

“These things happen, and many times the families see their relatives on social media in a manner which is not what we would want or appreciate, so we are hoping it was done in a responsible way to inform members of the family what took place here today.”

He commended first responders, noting that police officers had been passing when the accident occurred and immediately jumped into action.

“I understand they went and got a ladder and evacuated some persons out of the area, and they must be commended for that.”

Referring to the damaged barriers along the highway as evidence of repeated accidents, Alexander stressed that citizens also bear responsibility for safer roads.

“We are asking drivers to think, be mindful that they are not the only users on the road, but look out for the other users of the road. That is all we ask because we cannot place police officers at every location in order for laws to be implemented.”

Both Zakour and Alexander extended condolences to the families of Khan and Phillip, whose deaths have once again cast a shadow over road safety in Trinidad and Tobago.