A devastating mid-afternoon road accident unfolded along Audrey Jeffers Highway in Cocorite yesterday, leaving 66-year-old local resident Lennox Sylvan dead and a garbage truck driver with life-threatening injuries, as heavy rain reduced visibility and created hazardous driving conditions across the stretch. Sylvan, a well-known community member from Unity Road off Richplain Road, Diego Martin, was travelling westbound on the highway shortly before 1:47 p.m. when his personal truck suffered an unexpected mechanical failure just steps from the Cocorite Fishing Facility entrance. According to official police accounts, the 66-year-old exited his vehicle, lowered the front cabin to access the engine, and climbed onto the engine bay to troubleshoot and attempt a restart, when a westbound garbage truck travelling behind him collided at full force with the rear of his disabled vehicle. The catastrophic impact immediately pinned Sylvan under the collapsing cabin of his own truck, killing him on scene. The force of the crash was so extreme that Sylvan’s disabled vehicle was jolted across all westbound lanes, jumped the highway median, and careened into the oncoming eastbound carriageway, where it finally came to a halt after slamming into a parked Jeep Renegade. No additional road users were caught up in the secondary collision. The unidentified garbage truck operator suffered severe trauma in the crash, and first responders rushed him to the nearby St James Medical Complex, where medical staff confirmed he remained in stable but critical care as of last night. For hours following the wreck, severe gridlock paralyzed the highway’s westbound lanes, with a miles-long backup stretching from the MovieTowne commercial district all the way past the Cocorite Fishing Facility. A reporter from local outlet the Trinidad Express arrived on site roughly one hour after the collision, where they spoke briefly with Sylvan’s grieving son, who was collecting his father’s personal effects from the crumpled wreckage before authorities towed the vehicle to St James Police Station for forensic investigation. The family member confirmed the victim’s identity but declined to make any further public statements about the tragedy. Community members later shared with local reporters that Sylvan was a devout regular church attendee who was widely beloved and respected across his Diego Martin neighbourhood. This latest fatality pushes the country’s 2026 road death toll to 74 as of yesterday, a notable drop from the 102 recorded over the exact same 2025 time frame, even as traffic safety advocates continue to push for improved hazard warning protocols for disabled vehicles on high-speed highways during inclement weather.