Victim in Cedros freak accident identified

The man who was knocked unconscious by an uprooted tree at a beach in Cedros, which also left a woman nursing injuries on Sunday, succumbed to his injuries hours later. Police said that man-Joshua Grannum, 20, of Bagatelle Road, Diego Martin, never regained consciousness.

In what villagers described as a freak storm at about 1 pm on Sunday, a large tree at Granville Beach, Cedros, crashed into him and a parked Nissan AD wagon. On impact, Grannum fell to ground and lost consciousness. A woman from Gasparillo, was trapped in the driver’s seat and villagers had to rescue her.

The wagon almost split in two, with its windscreen smashed onto the bonnet and both front doors damaged.

Cedros police rushed Grannum, who was then unidentified, to the Point Fortin Area Hospital. Several hours later, doctors pronounced him dead. An ambulance subsequently transported the injured woman to the hospital, however, she was treated and discharged.

Police noted that there is always an influx of beachgoers on “long weekends” and “holidays”. As such, police believe that he was visiting the popular beach for the Republic Day holiday when tragedy struck.

During Saturday night and Sunday morning, residents experienced strong winds and incessant rainfall which resulted in several trees swaying. At Bamboo Village in Cedros, the roof of four houses were blown off and councillor Shankar Teelucksingh and a team from the Siparia Regional Corporation visited the affected residents.

An autopsy is expected to be performed today on Grannum’s body and Cedros police are investigating.