By CECILY ASSON Friday, April 25 2008

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TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE: The body of Russell Naphtali is placed on a stretcher near his wrecked car which was involved in a four-vehicle smash-up along th...

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RUSSELL NAPHTALI, 61, of Piparo was killed in a four-vehicle smash-up along the southbound lane of the Solomon Hochoy Highway in Couva which also left seven persons injured yesterday afternoon.

Naphtali, a haberdashery salesman, died instantly when a TTEC van heading in the opposite direction jumped the median separating the north and south- bound section of the highway and slammed into a Mazda Protégé car, which Naphtali was driving.

Injured in the accident were TTEC driver Vijay Ramkaran, 25, of Siparia; Andrew Kallicharan of Harris Street, San Fernando, (who was driving a Ford Ranger), taxi driver Glenroy Alexander and other passengers Alice Thomas, Euline La Roche, Andy Seenath and Kelly Regis.

Ramkaran was reportedly pinned behind the wheel of his van and had to be freed by fire services personnel. He was listed as being in critical condition at San Fernando General Hospital while the others are in stable condition.

According to police, at about 1.30 pm, Ramkaran was driving along the north-bound lane of the highway near Ato Boldon Stadium when he tried to overtake two trucks and lost control. The van crossed the grassy median and slammed into the Ford Ranger pick-up then collided with Naphtali’s car which in turn struck Alexander’s Toyota Royal Crown car.

The accident caused a major traffic pile-up stretching for several miles on both the north and southbound lanes. Newsday was told that Naphtali lived alone, was unmarried, childless and his only known relative is his sister Evangeline Mosaib-Ali who lives in Florida.

One of his neighbours who spoke to Newsday described Naphtali as a “very nice person who only two weeks ago spoke on behalf of villagers at the funeral service of another neighbour.

“We are really shocked at his passing,” the neighbour said. Investigations are continuing.