By FRANCIS JOSEPH
A birthday ride turned deadly for two friends on Thursday afternoon.
According to reports, friends Nicholas Bandoo and Levi Joseph lost their lives in a horrific crash along the Solomon Hochoy Highway, near to the Brentwood Mall, Chaguanas.
Bandoo was killed on the spot on his birthday, while Joseph also succumbed to injuries at hospital. A female driver also sustained injuries and had to be taken to hospital where she is listed in a stable condition.
According to police reports, Bandoo and Joseph were riding their motorcycles south along the highway when the traffic came to a sudden standstill. Both motorcycles slammed into the rear of a vehicle at high speed. The car immediately caught afire and the female driver had to be pulled from the fiery vehicle.
Both motorcycles were smashed into pieces. One rider was found on the highway, while the other was found in nearby bushes.
The deadly crash prompted a major emergency response, forcing the closure of all three southbound lanes when Highway Patrol officers and Fire Service personnel arrived at the scene.
The shutdown brought traffic to a crawl, with motorists diverted through Chaguanas and directed back onto the highway via the Chase Village overpass. But the traffic backed up all the way onto the Beetham Highway. On the northbound lane, there was what we call “maco traffic” all the way to Couva.
The body of the dead motorcyclist was eventually removed to the mortuary. The highway was later cleared of debris.
