A soldier with seven years service died almost instantly when his car slammed into a concrete barrier along the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway, San Juan, yesterday. According to police reports, Private Akeem Pierre, 26, of Siparia, was heading west along the highway to pick up duties at work for 6 am when the accident occurred.
Pierre, who was a cook attached to Regiment Headquarters, at corner Knox and Abercromby Streets, Port-of-Spain, is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel when he crashed. A statement from the T&T Regiment’s Public Liaison Officer, Capt Steffan Affonso, yesterday said Pierre was driving west near El Socorro Extension Road, El Socorro, at approximately 4 am when the accident happened.
“The Commanding Officer, officers, men and women of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment extend deepest condolences to the members of Private Pierre’s family. May they receive the strength and guidance from the Almighty God and the support from relatives and friends during their time of grief,” the statement said. Speaking at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, his grandfather Hector Joseph said Pierre joined the regiment “fresh out of school.”
He added that his grandson joined the army because he always wanted to. However, he was later told by regiment officers at the facility not to speak with the media. Pierre is the 48th person killed in a vehicular accident for the year.