Evans Rajkumar, the teen who was knocked down on Monday will be buried tomorrow after a service at the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah’s Witness, Chin Chin Road, Cunupia. The 14-year-old sports enthusiast and a Form Four student of St George’s College, Barataria, was walking to school when he was struck by a car. According to police, Rajkumar, of Ajodha Road, Cunupia, had exited a maxi taxi on the Priority Bus Route and was crossing Fifth Street, Barataria, when a car travelling east struck him.
He was pitched in the air and landed at the side of the road. The driver stopped the car to render assistance. He was briefly detained and questioned by police before being released. Rajkumar was taken to the Eric Williams Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where he died while receiving treatment.
Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday Rajkumar’s older brother, Randy, said his youngest sibling was a natural at sports and loved Japanese animation so much so that his dream was to visit that country one day. The eldest of three children said he was not pointing fingers, adding for his brother to be pitched for any distance indicates some level of excessive speed.
Rajkumar’s father, Eddy, said attention might have helped his son. He added: “The issue is whether a person who injures another person has the right to take up that person and render assistance. “Some people say yes some people say no. If the person is alive and you can render assistance then that may help. “What I am saying is that if he was attended to and carried to hospital we can't say definitely that he will still be alive but he may have been,” he said.
T&TUTA responds
In a phone interview yesterday, president of the T&T Unified Teachers Association Devanand Sinanan appealed to motorists to exercise caution when driving near schools. Sinanan said: “As a form teacher twice I had deaths in my class and I could feel what parents go through and as teachers our hearts go out to them. “We call on the Children Support Service team to talk to teachers, students and people close to the student.”
Sinanan said drivers needed to be careful and be on the lookout for children when they were near schools. Be vigilant and exercise caution, he added.
Principal: He was loved
Principal of St George’s College, James Sammy, said the school was grieving over Rajkumar’s death. He said Rajkumar was interested in school sports, such as table tennis, cricket and the Heroes Club. “He was courteous, respectful and comes from a family where you could see values and to speak his goals. Everybody knew him and loved him” he said.
Sammy added people were quick to “bad talk” teachers but when Rajkumar was struck the teachers were first to respond. “They are the ones who went and called the ambulance,” he said.