This weekend saw three fatal road traffic incidents, which took the lives of four victims. The most recent one occurred on Saturday night, at around 10pm. Two residents of Trinidad Village were returning home from the neighboring August Pine Ridge Village when the driver, 25-year-old Santos Blanco Jr, lost control near a curve. Both he and his passenger, 27-year-old Arnold Tillett, and the vehicle careened out of control. Courtney Menzies traveled up north and has this story.
Two men lost their lives in a traffic accident on Saturday night on the road between Trinidad and August Pine Ridge Villages. 25-year-old Santos Blanco Jr and 27-year-old Arnold Tillett were heading back home after a night of playing pool when their vehicle flipped on a steep curve, taking both their lives.
And while Tillett's family was preparing his grave today in Trinidad Village, Blanco's family was still in dismay, trying to come to terms with how the young father of two could have died so suddenly.
Voice of: Alder Blanco, Brother of Deceased
"It was shocking, I can't believe he is dead because he's young, 25-years-old."
Courtney Menzies:
"Does he go over to the other village a lot?"
Alder Blanco, Brother of Deceased
"Not really, because he sometimes go because he is always around here with his friends, I don't know what happened that day, he wanted to go play billiards, he said long time he haven't played. Because you know, we had all the restrictions."
Courtney Menzies:
"And since the village isn't far, he knows about that curve, right?"
Alder Blanco, Brother of Deceased
"Yes, but he was coming too fast because he didn't crash, he flip."
And Blanco's wife was too distraught to speak, especially since according to his brother, Blanco worked extremely hard for his kids.
Alder Blanco, Brother of Deceased
"He was driving cane trucks, he always do any kind of job. Chops yard, construction, he get that job and he stick with that. Everybody could tell you he likes to work, you can't tell he, "You can't do this," everything he can do."
"I can't tell you he was good or bad because when somebody dead they always say he's good but he isn't too bad. He like to go out and drink some beers and stick around with friends."
Courtney Menzies:
"So he was a very sociable person?"
Alder Blanco, Brother of Deceased
"Sociable yes, a lot of people know him."
Blanco leaves behind two young sons while Tillett had no children.
Blanco's brother says he does not believe alcohol was a factor since his brother had not been drinking heavily.
