A deadly double tragedy unfolded on one of Trinidad and Tobago’s busiest highways on Sunday, as two separate vehicle collisions just three hours apart left two people dead and multiple others injured, reigniting longstanding public pressure for improved road safety measures along the route.
The first incident occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. near the Munroe Road flyover, when a 22-year-old driver operating a pick-up truck crossed the highway’s central median and struck a passenger vehicle head-on. Trapped inside the wrecked car was 58-year-old Michael King, a local business leader and co-executive of an Arouca-based maintenance firm. King was crushed in the impact and pronounced dead at the scene, after first responders had to cut him free from the destroyed vehicle.
King’s wife, Severina Francois, who was also in the vehicle, suffered serious brain injuries in the crash. She was transported to Mt Hope Hospital for urgent treatment, and medical updates confirm she remains conscious and coherent. The 22-year-old pick-up driver and all other occupants of the truck were also critically injured and taken to hospital for care. The high-profile crash blocked through traffic for hours, causing widespread gridlock that stretched for miles along the highway.
Before emergency crews had even cleared the wreckage from the first collision, a second fatal crash unfolded on the highway’s northbound lane near Caroni, at roughly 8:15 p.m. that same evening. According to police reports, a black Suzuki Grand Vitara, driven northbound by 41-year-old Curepe resident Randy Siew, collided with the rear of a silver Nissan Sylphy traveling in the same direction. The force of the impact pushed the Nissan off the paved roadway, but its driver escaped the crash without any injuries.
When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, they found Siew motionless on the side of the road. Investigators preliminary assessment suggests Siew suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack behind the wheel just before or during the collision. Two elderly passengers who were riding in Siew’s vehicle sustained non-fatal injuries and were transferred to a local medical facility for treatment. Siew was officially pronounced dead at the scene by the district medical officer.
In the wake of the back-to-back fatalities, local road safety advocacy group Arrive Alive has publicly extended its condolences to the families of both King and Siew, while renewing a years-long campaign for the installation of physical median barriers along the entire length of the Uriah Butler Highway.
In a statement posted to the organization’s social media channels on Sunday, Arrive Alive emphasized that the fatal crash that killed King was entirely preventable. “This is another preventable and fatal crash which took the life of one, and seriously injured three persons. We wish the three persons injured full recoveries,” the group wrote.
The organization called on all motorists to prioritize focused driving, noting that driver distraction and excessive speed are consistent contributing factors in serious highway collisions across the country. It also added that the widespread lack of physical median separation directly contributes to the dangerous crossover collisions that frequently leave drivers dead on major routes.
“Forensic crash investigation required in T&T. So do [better] median barriers [to prevent] crossover collisions. The Ministry of Works and Infrastructure Trinidad and Tobago, please install median barriers along this highway,” the group’s statement concluded.