The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

AN 18-year-old college student died of his injuries at the scene of a three-car collision on Friday.

Police say Achintya Garikaparthi’s white Mazda veered into northbound traffic on the Western Road south of Mount Pleasant Village shortly after 9am.

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 have been transferred to PMH with non-life threatening injuries at this time.”

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

Mr Garikaparthi, a St. Augustine's College alumnus, 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 next week.

At the scene on Friday, Mr 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 or serious accidents which have occurred in New Providence alone. We would say maybe five percent of them is the result of persons going in excess of the speed limit. 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.

Mr Stubbs said: “This 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,” he added, “it’s clear the vehicle was going in excess of the recommended speed limit for this corridor.”