Police Investigate Fatal Vehicle Crash in Anse La Raye

Law enforcement officers are investigating a tragic vehicular accident that has claimed the life of a male driver on the country’s roadways.

On Sunday, July 26, at approximately 7:55 a.m., officers from the Anse La Raye Police Station responded to reports of a crash at Au Pos, Anse La Raye.

The deceased has been identified as 32-year-old Andrez Forde, a resident of Marchand, Castries.

Preliminary investigations indicate that an orange Toyota Aqua veered off the road and went over a precipice. The Saint Lucia Fire Service medical personnel arrived on the scene to assist the two occupants of the vehicle, both of whom were transported to the Owen King EU Hospital by ambulance.

Unfortunately, the male occupant succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by medical staff. The female occupant is currently in stable condition.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing.

The fatal crash comes amid a recent increase in road accidents across Saint Lucia, prompting renewed calls for safer driving practices and greater personal responsibility among road users. Minister for Health, Wellness and Nutrition Moses Jn Baptiste said that while government continues to work on measures to address road safety, individuals also have a role to play in preventing accidents.

“I believe more can always be done and the Government of Saint Lucia is working to cause more to be done,” Jn Baptiste expressed during a recent press brief in reference to accident prevention. He further divulged that “I believe that a lot of that can be avoided if we take personal responsibility as a country, as an individual, as a family to deal with those matters.”

Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre also addressed the issue of road safety, describing the number of accidents recorded in the previous week as “unacceptable” and calling on motorists to take greater “personal responsibility.”

Reflecting on the upcoming observance of Emancipation Day, the Prime Minister added that as a people, “we can emancipate ourselves from recklessness. We can emancipate ourselves from carelessness on the roads.”

He further expressed that “the recklessness on Saint Lucia’s roads is something that we need to look into. We have to take personal responsibility for the way we drive on the roads in the country.”

To date, the Department of Road Safety has confirmed 13 fatal road collisions and a total 16 resulting fatalities.