A 50-year-old farmer was killed while crossing the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Aranguez on Thursday night. Around 6.15 pm, Krishna Sookraj, of Cyrus Street, Aranguez, was riding his bicycle south to north along the westbound lanes near the Aranguez overpass when a black SUV collided with him. Police said Sookraj, who had just left his garden and was returning home, was pitched over 100 feet before he landed in the middle of the road. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police first-responders found the driver of the SUV, Simon Singh, who stopped to help Sookraj, sitting at the side of the road in an emotional state. Singh, of Princes Town, was taken to the Barataria Police Station, where he was questioned for several hours by investigators. He was only allowed to leave after he passed a breathalyser test and provided a statement to police.
Speaking to reporters following an autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre in St James yesterday morning, Sookraj’s relatives said they were still shocked by his death. They said he would normally cross the highway without any problems. “He was always busy, and always working hard. When he get hit, he was trying to head home. He never used to make joke with that. He would work hard all day, but when it was home time, it was home time.
“Right now, we taking it very hard. We saw the man who hit him sitting on the culvert there before the police take him away. It was hard seeing him there, but we will try to deal with this as best as we can,” a relative said. Investigations are continuing.