FATAL RIDE

There was an outpouring of grief for popular local chef Joe Brown, who yesterday died in a cycling accident along with British national, Joanna Banks, on the Beetham Highway.

Brown, 63, and Banks, 40, were cycling on the eastbound lane of the highway near Beetham Gardens with 12 other members of the Slipstream Cycling Club around 6.30 am when a car crashed into the group. Banks, an employee at bpTT, died at the scene while Brown succumbed to his injuries at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope.

Also injured were Adeline Perreira, who was treated at the EWMSC, and gynaecologist, Dr Ajit Kuruvilla, who was taken to WestShore Medical Private Hospital in Cocorite. A relative of Kuruvilla, Amanda Jardine, said Kuruvilla was traumatised by the incident but otherwise “okay.” He remained warded at WestShore with a fractured ankle and a knee injury.

The driver was also taken to the EWMSC after passing a breathalyser tests and was said to be in stable condition. Initially, the driver told police one of his tyres blew out and he careened into another car before hitting the group. However, CCTV cameras revealed that while attempting to switch from the far left to the centre lane, he collided with a car, lost control and then ploughed into the cyclists before crashing into a wall. As of press time, he was in police custody.

Born in England, Brown fell in love with, and in, TT. He was the executive chef and CEO of Jaffa at The Oval at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. He left behind a daughter who lives in the United Kingdom.

Friend, chef Paul Mowser, was devastated by the news. He, Brown, and chef Khalid Mohammed were business partners at Jaffa. When Sunday Newsday contacted him, all he could say was, “I lost a very good friend of 35 years. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing.”

He also mentioned that, Jaffa would be closed today and tomorrow.

Cyclist with Slipstream, Darrel Ramesar, who was on the deadly ride yesterday recalled, “A car just ploughed into the group. People were all over the place. It was chaotic. I’m not sure exactly what happened at every point.”

He expressed his condolences to the families of Brown and Banks. He said it was heartbreaking for all the members to have to deal with such a tragic incident was very tragic because, as members of the club, they were all friends.

He added that it was also upsetting because Slipstream was always safety conscious as, in addition to the two motorcycle police escorts, they arranged for a van to follow them.

President of road safety NGO Arrive Alive, Sharon Inglefield, agreed that the club did “everything right” but stressed that any vehicle moving faster than 25 km/hr would seriously injure or kill any cyclist or pedestrian.

She said Brown’s death was a tremendous personal loss to her and her husband, Peter Inglefield, as well as to Arrive Alive because he was a passionate road safety advocate. In fact, she said he helped to sponsor the local World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims event on several occasions.

“Joe Brown of Jaffa has been very close to Arrive Alive and a great friend and advocate of road safety since he sponsored our launch of the Decade to Action for Road Safety nine years ago at his restaurant. It’s just tragic and bizarre that he should lose his life this way. It’s all very very sad.”

Peter Inglefield, secretary at the Queen’s Park Cricket Club, told Sunday Newsday he initially knew Brown through playing rugby. He described Brown as a man who loved life, was an avid sportsman, a hard worker, a good businessman, and was very responsible. He said Brown often supported the Queen’s Park Club’s various programmes, as well as Arrive Alive by hosting events at Jaffa.

“The cycling community is in a terrible state because obviously they take as many precautions as possible with support from the police service and their own service vans following them. You really don’t expect these types of situations. It is very tragic and he will be missed.”

In a media statement, bpTT said the company was “shocked and saddened” by the death of Joanna Banks. “Our priority at this time is to support the family of the deceased and our employees. It is a very sad day for the bpTT family and our thoughts and prayers are with all those involved and their families.”

The British High Commission also said they were “informed of the death of a British national in Trinidad and Tobago and stand ready to provide assistance to the family.”

In a release, the TT Cycling Federation (TTCF) said it and the Caribbean cycling community were awaiting further details on the condition of the other cyclists but would not comment on the accident as it was being investigated by the TTPS.