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THE family and friends of 19-year-old Kavish Persad are mourning his untimely passing in a fatal car accident late on August 19, a day after receiving his highly anticipated CAPE results. He is remembered as a bright young man with a promising future.
Reports are Persad, of Mahelal Street, Aranguez, was driving his white Hyundai Ioniq when he lost control of the car while trying to overtake another car. He crashed into the car before careening off the highway and slamming into the Beetham water main. His car then launched into the air before landing in the nearby Laventille River.
Earlier, Persad’s father, Pundit Maniedeo Persad, paid tribute to Kavish on social media, congratulating him on his CAPE results, which included five Grade Is and one Grade II.
Tertiary Education and Skills Training Minister Prakash Persad, Kavish’s uncle, said the family was grieving.
“He just finished CAPE, he was going to Hillview College, he got five Is and a II. He was a good guy. He was also a pundit in training. It’s a severe loss to the family.”
In 2023, Kavish received Grade 1s in eight CSEC Subjects, and in 2019, he was recognised by the Education Ministry as one of the top 200 students in the SEA 2018 Examination.
His father was TT's High Commissioner to India from 2003 to 2010. He was also accredited to Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Indian High Commissioner Dr Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit said the loss of Persad was very unfortunate.
“I know Mr Maniedeo Persad was the High Commissioner to India when I arrived here. I met him and he brought with him Kavish, the young bright boy, and introduced him to me. Later on also I met him a few times. It is really hard to believed that he passed away in an accident.
“He was a very talented young man, very promising-looking. He was into his media group also, ieTV, and other things he was involved in. It’s really tragic, there are no words that I have to express the condolences.”
Rajpurohit said he has extended his condolences to Persad and the family and expressed his grief over the incident.
“It’s a very difficult time for the family and everyone. I really find it difficult to believe this has happened, hard to digest, this development.”
Persad’s goddaughter Sita Basso said the family were quiet people who encouraged the community to send their children to school and to the temple.
Persad was the grandson of the founder of Swaha, the late Shankaracharya (spiritual leader) Pundit Hari Prasad and Chandrawti Prasad.
In a Facebook post, Swaha extended condolences to Pundit Maniedeo Persad, Shrimatee Rohini Persad and Kalyani Persad on the loss of their beloved son and brother, Pundit Kavish Veda Persad.
“The Dharma Mandal, national executive and all members and supporters of Swaha share in this loss of a wonderful and blessed young Pundit. We ask that you extend your condolences and support to the members of the family.”
A post on ieTV’s Facebook page extended heartfelt condolences to Persad’s family and loved ones on behalf of ieTV and its staff.
“His life and service have left a lasting impact, and he will be deeply missed. May the soul find peace and attain moksha (enlightenment)."
Meanwhile, police reports said a Chaguanas man who stopped to assist Persad after the accident was pulling him from the wreckage when a group of men grabbed him from behind and beat him. They stole $10,000, his ID card and bank card, and escaped into the Beetham Gardens area.
Persad’s death marks the latest of several road fatalities over the past few days, with three people dying earlier on August 19 in two accidents.
Arrive Alive president Sharon Inglefield, speaking with Newsday via telephone on August 20, extended condolences to the families who were left behind after their loved ones died.
“Too many of our families are still left to grieve from collisions that are all preventable.”
She appealed to all drivers not to use the speed limit as a target and to adapt their speed to the road conditions.
“Many of the roads lack barriers, guardrails, there are potholes, as well as a lot of drivers need to do a defensive driving course, they need to be trained, they need to be educated. We are pleading with them to educate themselves about the consequences of making poor choices and speed that increases risk on our nation’s roads. It is simple common sense: the faster you go, the more likely you are to have a crash, unless you’re a skilled driver or unless you’re in a controlled environment like a racetrack.
“It’s very important that our drivers understand that speed is the number one killer. Losing control means you’re going too fast.”
She said the NGO was happy to continue to partner with all stakeholders. She appealed to the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation to reinstate penalty points for speed and not wearing seatbelts.
“Our passengers in the backseats of vehicles need to be protected and we need to reinstate those penalty points for speed as well as not wearing seatbelts because we have had two many serious and fatal collisions on our roads recently. Too many of our drivers continue to push the boundaries.
“We would also like to recommend that private sector and government look at fleet safety management and include GPS in all vehicles, as everyone has a responsibility. It is important that government and private sector entities who own a fleet of vehicles and have drivers on the road who may be tired and/or not properly trained, that they consistently remind them about proper driving practices.”
She said a consistent communication plan, including training and education, was important for all drivers.
Inglefield complimented the fire and ambulance services, especially for the collision between the PTSC bus and the truck on April 19 where two people died and several were injured.
“We wanted to thank them for their timely response to serious collisions, for the consistent and tireless commitment to road safety and for arriving on time, because every second counts.”
Under the previous demerit point system, people who exceeded the speed limit by one-nine kilometres per hour (km/h) were fined $1,000 and earned no demerit points, people who exceeded the speed limit by 10-20 km/h were fined $1,500 and earned two demerit points, people who exceeded the speed limit by 21-30 km/h were fined $2,000 and earned four demerit points, and people who exceeded the speed limit by 31 km/h or more were fined $3,000 and earned six demerit points. Failure of a driver and any passenger 17 years and over to wear a seatbelt while the vehicle is in motion is a fine of $1,000 and four demerit points, while driving a vehicle with someone in the front seat who is not wearing a seatbelt is a fine of $1,000 and four demerit points.
In July, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Eli Zakour scrapped the demerit point system for all but six criminal offences.
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