Man dies as car plunges off Lopinot road

UPDATED:

RYAN HAMILTON-DAVIS

Residents of Lopinot are calling for better roads after the death of Michael Williams, whose AD wagon fell down a precipice on Lopinot Road on Thursday. They told reporters yesterday, the road is in a dilapidated state.

“The whole road bad right through. Top to bottom,” said Gill Salina, a Lopinot resident for 52 years.

“People who are not accustomed to driving here could fall off.”

Newsday was told, Williams was driving his car shortly before 6pm. A woman identified as Lydia Phillip and a 7-year-old boy, Levi Thomas were passengers. Williams met another car going in the opposite direction on a narrow piece of road.

Residents in the area speculated that he may have misjudged the width of the road, and his car tumbled 100 feet down a precipice. He died at the scene, but Phillip and Thomas were rescued by residents. They were taken to hospital, where they remain in a stable and satisfactory condition.

Salina said the last time anyone did any repairs to the road, was in the mid-90’s, when Basdeo Panday was prime minister. He said several other people had fallen of the edge of the road and into precipices. Last year another man fell down a precipice, however he escaped with only a broken leg.

“This hole here is joke,” said Gill while pointing toward the area where Williams’ car crashed. “There are precipices as deep as 300 feet on this road. All you have to do is drive along the road and you will see how dangerous it is.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

SHARLENE RAMPERSAD

One man is dead after the car he was driving plunged over 100 feet off a cliff along the Lopinot Road earlier today.

The deceased has been identified as Michael Williams. Williams’ age is not yet known. There were two passengers in his car, Lydia Philips and her special needs son Levi Thomas, seven.

The mother and son were rescued from the wreck by members of the Lopinot La Pastora Community group, Kerron Reid and Slavon Caldon, who lived nearby.

The accident happened shortly after 5pm today.

It is believed that Williams died at the scene. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

Stay with Newsday for more updates.