Time stood still at the Arlapen family home in Cité Chébel, Beau Bassin. Brandon Arlapen, 20, who was seriously injured in an accident on New Airport Road (NAR) in Gros Billot, New Grove on the afternoon of Thursday February 1, succumbed to his injuries at Rose Belle’s Jawaharlall Nehru Hospital in the early hours of Monday morning, February 5, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit ward and placed on artificial respiration. The victim was driving a motorcycle when it skidded and fell. A lorry passing by at the same time rolled on its two feet and did not stop.
It was at 2:45 a.m. on Monday February 5 that Brandon Arlapen, the young motorcycle enthusiast, breathed his last at Rose Belle Hospital. Although his state of health was critical, those close to him remained hopeful that he would pull through. They were all devastated when the news of this young man’s death reached them.
Thursday February 1 being a public holiday, the victim had decided to go for a motorcycle ride with friends. He got on his green Haojue motorcycle. He was riding southbound on the NAR in New Grove shortly after 12.30pm. He was almost in front of the Landscope building when he reportedly skidded off his two-wheeler. This was reported by a 25-year-old friend of his who lives in Plaisance, Rose-Hill. After the victim fell to the asphalt, a tractor-trailer traveling in the same direction passed over his body and didn’t stop. It continued on towards Plaine Magnien. They were scheduled to go to Blue Bay Beach that day.
Brandon Arlapen, who was bleeding profusely, was taken by ambulance to the Rose Belle hospital. After receiving first aid, he was transferred to the operating room, where both his feet were amputated. He was then placed in the intensive care unit under artificial respiration in critical condition. Police officers from the Rose Belle police station arrived at the scene of the accident and transported his motorcycle to the police station for examination.
The badly damaged motorcycle was taken to the Rose Belle police station for examination. In addition to the information obtained from this witness to the accident and images from two Safe City cameras, two trucks were seen heading towards Plaine Magnien at 12:33 and 12:34 respectively. They then drove to a depot in Roche Bois and another in Baie du Tombeau. Both trucks belong to a large company based in the Roche Bois area.
Once the two vehicles had been located, they were placed under police surveillance, as they could not be examined by forensic technicians, as they had to be placed on an elevator. It was not until Friday February 2 that the two trucks were examined. No traces of blood or impact marks were found on either vehicle, as it was raining that day in Port Louis. The drivers of these vehicles were subjected to an alcohol test. The results were negative. At no time, to their knowledge, did they claim to have been involved in any accident. This is why they had not stopped their vehicles. The clothing worn by the victim on the day of his accident was seized for examination at the Forensic Science Laboratory for tire tracks. To date, no charges have been laid against the two drivers.
An autopsy was carried out on Monday morning, February 5, by Dr Maxwell Monvoisin, Principal Police Medical Officer. He attributed the cause of death to respiratory failure.
An investigation has been launched to shed light on the exact circumstances of this accident.
