According to onlookers on the scene, early Monday morning, 24-year-old Ted Leriche of Hospital Road was attempting to jump over the median that separates traffic going north and south when a southbound black Subaru collided with him. Within minutes several nauseating videos and stills of the accident were in circulation, including the victim’s severed lower leg on the ground. Some in the gawking crowd at the scene of the accident were still in their swimsuits, having rushed from a nearby beach event.
Vice Exclusive, a reincarnation of Verve St Lucia’s Vice, which ran annually for four years, was held on Malabar Beach on Sunday June 9, starting around 4pm. On Monday morning, around the same time as the accident, patrons were making their way from the party. However, the police are unable to say, even now, whether the victim or the driver had attended the event or had been drinking heavily.
Onlookers say friends of Leriche attempted to attack the driver of the Subaru and threatened him repeatedly while he took refuge in his vehicle. The videos show sections of the crowd pounding the damaged vehicle while the victim lay surrounded in the background. One witness told this reporter the driver finally had to flee for his life. On the other hand, the police confirmed the driver was protected at the scene then taken away. They say there was no one in the car when it came under attack.
The police say that promoters were fully authorized to hold their event at Malabar Beach, having met all requirements. George Nicols, an acting assistant police commissioner, said in a news interview there was a police presence throughout the beach event. Nicols urged pedestrians and motorists to adhere to the safety measures in place on the roads.
