A family mourning the loss of 32-year-old Andrez Forde gathered at Au Ponche, Anse La Raye, on Monday to lay flowers and pay tribute to a loved one whose life was cut short following a tragic vehicular crash.
Forde, of Marchand, Castries, died after the orange Toyota Aqua he was travelling in veered off the road and plunged over a precipice in the early hours of Sunday morning.
His father, Andre Forde, recalled his final moments with his son, saying the two had spent time together the previous night before he left home.
“Saturday night, my son and I was out for about one o’clock, stood there with a token, tell me that they are going to free. I tell him, well, be careful,” he said.
Forde said his son later returned home briefly before leaving again in the orange vehicle.
“I took the orange car, packed it in, I thought it was GPS going with. Then he came back and took the orange car and left,” he explained.
The grieving father said his son made contact with the family the following morning.
“The morning he called, he wasn’t getting in, but he called my wife and tell my wife to tell me that the key for the car is on the dresser,” he said. “So I tell my wife I’m not going anywhere, but my wife went down to get the car, and after a couple of minutes, that’s what I get, you know,” he said.
Reflecting on the circumstances surrounding the crash, Forde said he believed his son may have fallen asleep after another person travelling with him had gone to sleep.
“The girl that I was talking to, she fell asleep before him. If she can’t keep him company, I expect him to fall asleep too,” he said.
Forde’s cousin, Hadassah Forde, described him as someone who was always present for his family and said relatives were committed to supporting each other during the difficult period.
“He’d always show up for us, so I guess we’ll show up for him,” she said.
“We got this family covered, for sure. And I suppose you’re here to see exactly to it, to understand how that happened.”
The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has confirmed that investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collision are ongoing. The crash left Forde dead, while the female occupant of the vehicle remains in stable condition.