Fire chief helps pedestrian after Bus Route accident

Chief Fire Officer Arnold Bristow says it was a case of “right place, right time” after he helped a pedestrian who was knocked down on the Priority Bus Route (PBR) on Thursday.

Bristow was in traffic heading west on the PBR around 9.40 am when a pedestrian tried to cross in front of his car.

A motorcyclist in the eastbound lane struck the pedestrian, causing him to fall near Bristow’s car.

Bristow told Newsday he helped the pedestrian until an ambulance arrived.

“He got some serious injuries, including a compound fracture to his left leg. So I had to ensure that he was stabilised and that he didn't get any further injuries by trying to move before he was conveyed to the hospital.”

Bristow wished the victim a speedy recovery and said the injuries did not appear critical.

“Nothing life-threatening. The way he fell, he would have had some bruises. He also had (the) fracture to his leg, which would have needed serious attention and he would have needed to be hospitalised to get it corrected.”

Comments on a photo of the incident on social media suggested Bristow was driving the car that hit the pedestrian.

However, he told Newsday this is untrue and questioned the motives of the person who took the photo.

“People looking at the picture will automatically get a wrong signal. And I mean, releasing the picture in the first instance, the only intent could be malicious because you don't have all the information.”

A press release from the TT Fire Service also dismissed the rumour, saying the comments were “in no way a true or factual representation of (Thursday) morning's events.”