Brennon Rampersad was freed yesterday of the 2007 charge of causing the death of his friend and neighbour, Craig Harripersad.
Harripersad, 15 was a passenger in a white Sunny sedan driven by Rampersad, then 18, on May 12, 2007 when Rampersad lost control of the vehicle and ploughed into a truck driven by Birsingh Gadraj.
Harripersad died while receiving treatment at hospital the following day.
The trial against Rampersad, who is now a fire officer attached to the Siparia Fire Station, began on July 13 before Justice Kathy Ann Waterman-Latchoo in the San Fernando High Court.
Yesterday, the jury deliberated for one hour and 40 minutes before returning with a not-guilty verdict. Attorneys Kevin Ratiram and Chris Ramlal represented Rampersad, now 28, while state attorneys Shabana Shah and Norma Peters led the prosecution.
During the trial, PC Roger Fortune testified that he was a passenger in a police vehicle driving along the SS Erin Road when he witnessed a white Sunny car coming in the opposite direction at a fast speed.
Fortune said he alerted the driver of the police vehicle, Sgt Harry and Harry pulled their police vehicle to the extreme left of the roadway and stopped. He said the Sunny passed them at a high speed and then veered into their lane behind them, colliding with a truck that was also behind them. Fortune said he contacted the Siparia Police Station, the Fire Station and an ambulance.
Also testifying for the prosecution, retired Cpl Khalif Karim said he was received a report on the day of the accident and when he went on the scene, he observed the front of the white Sunny car pinned under the front of the truck. He said he saw four occupants in the car including Rampersad who was in the driver’s seat.
He said after fire officers used the Jaws of Life to free the occupants and Rampersad came out of the vehicle, he asked him how the accident had happened. Karim testified that Rampersad told him he came around the corner, lost control of his vehicle and collided with the truck.
But defence witness, Rampersad’s uncle Avelino Montano testified that on the day of the accident, he received a message and went to the scene with his cousin, Steve. He said when he got there, he saw Rampersad in the drivers seat and the steering wheel of the car was pinned against him. The car’s windshield had been shattered in the accident.
He said he and Steve climbed onto the car’s bonnet and through the space where the windshield would have been, they pulled the steering up and away from Rampersad. Montano said the steering budged a small distance and Rampersad began to cough up blood. He said he then lifted Rampersad out of the car where he was placed on a stretcher and taken away by ambulance.
Montano said at no time did Rampersad ever speak to anyone at the scene as he appeared to be unconscious.
Last Wednesday, Rampersad testified on his own behalf, telling the jury he was driving on the day when he came to the corner. He said he slowed to about 30 miles per hour and then began accelerating again. He said as he turned the corner, he saw a police van about six feet in front of him in his lane coming towards him.
He said he also saw a truck on the opposite lane. He said the police van appeared closer than the truck and he panicked and instinctively pulled to the left to avoid colliding with the police vehicle.
He testified that he felt a vibration on his steering wheel and saw he was headed to a ditch on the side of the road. He then pulled to the right to try to get the car back on the road. The next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital.
He said due to injuries sustained in the accident, he was unable to walk until about five months later. He said he couldn’t immediately remember the accident and around mid-August 2007, he began getting flashbacks as to how the accident happened.