The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN pedestrian and a teenager are dead following two separate traffic accidents on Friday and Saturday, police said.

The latest incident occurred shortly before 10pm on Saturday.

Police said a woman was attempting to walk across Prince Charles Drive, in the area of the Wok Restaurant, when she was struck by two vehicles - a 2011 Buick Regal, which was travelling in the east bound lane and a black Nissan Cube, which was travelling in the west bound lane.

The victim was taken to hospital by paramedics where she was later pronounced dead.

Both drivers remained on scene and were assisting police with their investigation.

A day earlier, an 18-year-old college student died of his injuries at the scene of a three-car collision.

Police said Achintya Garikaparthi's white Mazda veered into northbound traffic on the Western Road south of Mount Pleasant Village shortly after 9am on Friday, adding speed likely played a factor in the fatal crash.

Chief Superintendent Craig Stubbs, officer-in-charge of the Traffic Division, said: "The white Mazda was travelling south along the corridor when apparently (the driver) lost control and collided with a vehicle travelling in the northbound lane and the third vehicle then collided into the first two vehicles that were involved in the accident.

"The two female drivers of those second and third vehicles were since transported to PMH with non-life threatening injuries at this time," said the police report.

Medical personnel from Lyford Cay clinic repeatedly attempted CPR at the scene, but were unable to revive Garikaparthi, CSP Stubbs said.

Garikaparthi, a St Augustine's College graduate, is the son of Dr Srikanth

Garikaparthi, a consultant plastic surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital and Doctors Hospital.

He was reportedly due to return to Canada to resume his studies this week.

At the scene on Friday, CSP Stubbs made an appeal for motorists to observe speeding limits as it was a factor in a number of serious traffic accidents occurring in New Providence this year.

"If we look at all of the fatalities, the serious accidents which have occurred so far in New Providence alone, we would say 85 percent of them is the result of persons going in excess of the speed limit," the officer said. "Thus, you would see the traffic officers now selecting roadways or corridors where we find persons seem to exceed the speed limit and we will be targeting those persons.

"(Last) week alone we have cited over 100 persons for driving in excess of the speeding limit. The law is clear, any (person) driving in excess of the speed limit is guilty of an offence. The law also states where there are no speed signs posted, the speed limit is 30 miles per hour in that respective zone, not 45 or 50.

"From what we see here today," CSP Stubbs added, "it's clear the vehicle was going in excess of the recommended speed limit for this corridor."