Remembrance walk for 5 dead in 2009 Mosquito Creek crash

TEN years have passed, but the memory of five young men who died in a tragic accident on Mosquito Creek on August 15, 2009, has not waned.

Neither has the pain.

To cope with the agony and loss, parents, friends and relatives of the five formed the group Citizens against Dangerous Driving.

Members have become advocates for safe driving and often spread awareness by speaking out about the effects of reckless driving.

A Remembrance Day walkathon to keep alive the memory of victims Sachin Maharaj, nine, Sachin Singh, 12, Rajkumar Deonarine, 14, Rishi Ramlochan,23, and Rajesh Ramnarine, 38, has also become a calendar event.

On Sunday, approximately 60 people, comprising parents, relatives and friends of the five, held the annual walkathon to remember their loved ones. It started at the South Oropouche Community Centre, and passedthrough the community of Oropouche, where the five lived. It ended at the site of the tragedy near the Shore of Peace, where flowers were placed, prayers said, and tears shed.

Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe, who continues to support and encourage the activism of this group, joined in the walk.

On that day in 2009, 17 cricket enthusiasts were heading to the Balls of Fire cricket match when a truck driven by Balton Barnwell crashed into the bus in which they were travelling.

The 12 survivors suffered varying degrees of life-changing injuries.

In 2016, Barnwell, of Fyzabad, who is close to his eightieth birthday, was committed to stand trial for causing the deaths of the five by dangerous driving.