A 47-year-old pre-school teacher from Arima died after she was knocked down by a Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) bus in an early morning accident in Tunapuna yesterday.
At around 8 am, Sita Yorke-Warner, of Pinto Road, Arima, was attempting to cross the Priority Bus Route (PBR) near St John’s Road, St Augustine, when a PTSC bus driving in the east-bound lane knocked her down.
Yorke-Warner was on her way to the pre-school in St Augustine where she taught. She was pronounced dead at the scene by a district medical officer (DMO).
The driver of the buswas interviewed by police before being allowed to leave the scene. Investigators seek guidance from Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on whether charges should be laid in the matter.
In an interview at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday morning Yorke-Warner’s former husband, Ian Warner, said relatives were still trying to find out what happened
“From what was explained to me, she was crossing in between two parked cars and as she stepped out, the bus hit her,” he said.
Warner described his former wife, with whom he had three children, as kind and good spirited.
“Even though we were not together anymore, she is still one of the best woman I have ever known,” he said.
PTSC general manager Ronald Forde said the corporation’s board, management and staff were all “taken aback” by the “very unfortunate” incident.
“PTSC has arranged for the driver to receive counselling from our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) consultants.
As we speak, a representative from the PTSC is trying to locate her family to express our condolences,” Forde said.
Yorke-Warner’s death raised the road fatality toll for the year to 112.