Rose Bank man dies in auto crash

by Adrian Codogan

Another North Leeward family is in mourning following the death of a loved one in a vehicular accident.

Equran ‘Yugi’ Baptiste, a 26-year-old labourer of Rose Bank lost his life in an accident at Arnos Vale on July 2 around 11:30 p.m. in the vicinity of Dekie’s Auto Zone and Thomas Wholesale.{{more}}

According to a police report, Baptiste was travelling to Kingstown from the Calliaqua route when the vehicle went out of control and crashed into a wall. He died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

Earlier this week, SEARCHLIGHT spoke with some members of Baptiste’s family, including his mother Litha, father Matthew and girlfriend Sherna.

According to the grieving relatives, Baptiste was at the home of Janice Howe with her daughter Sherna, with whom he had been involved for five years, when at 8:02 pm, he received a phone call.

Sherna said on receiving the call, Baptiste told her he was going to Rose Bank to “check a scene,” but when he hadn’t returned by 9:34 pm, she called his phone and he told her he would be home soon.

Sometime during the wee hours of the next morning, Sherna said she woke with a start as she was having a nightmare.

She however said she was not alarmed so she went back to sleep.

“It was not until around six that someone called and told me that Yugi was dead, I just couldn’t believe,” the distraught young woman said.

Baptiste’s mother Litha said her son had recently spent some time in Union Island so it had been just over a month since she last saw him. A mother of six, Litha said her son was very good to her.

“He would come hug me up and say, ‘Ole Queen yo know me love yo’, and when I’m cursing him he does all kinds of things to make me laugh,” the grieving mother said.

Father Matthew Francois said that he would miss his son and laments that he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.

“Is like a part of me gone too,” he said.

Friends say that days before his demise Equran said that he was not going to do a lot of driving during the carnival weekend as many accidents tend to happen at that time.

Many were therefore surprised when they heard about the accident.

It was reported that after leaving Chateaubelair, Baptiste spent a short time at German Shop at Layou before driving to Ratho Mill area where an event was being held at a night spot. He was returning home when the accident, which was recorded by a building security camera occurred.

Baptiste grew up in Rose Bank but has been recently spending more time at Chateaubelair. He is the father of a seven-year-old boy. Police are carrying out investigations; a post mortem examination is to be done.

On June 28, three residents of Spring Village in North Leeward died after the vehicle in which they were travelling plunged over a cliff at Coulls Hill. There have been eight road accidents so far for 2015 resulting in 16 deaths.