A SIX-MONTH-old baby girl died early yesterday morning in a vehicular accident at Santa Flora.

The driver of the vehicle she was travelling in also died.

John Lee Apping, 24, and baby Semia Charles died along the SS Erin Road, Los Bajos around 2.30 a.m., police said.

Police reports are that Apping was proceeding west in his Toyota Corolla car when the accident occurred near the Palo Seco Credit Union.

Apping and Charles died on the spot.

Police said Apping swerved to avoid hitting a pothole in the road and collided head on with another vehicle proceeding east and driven by Trevin Murain.

Murain's vehicle was a Mazda 323.

The baby's mother, Joanna Charles, and another occupant of the Toyota Corolla as well as the driver of the other vehicle and his companion Kazzi Grant, 17, sustained serious injuries, police said.

They could not say whether Apping was wearing a seatbelt because when they arrived at the scene, the victims had already been taken out of the vehicle.

Apping left home at around 4 p.m. to attend the Kiddies Carnival at High Street, Siparia, his father Pete Apping said yesterday.

He said he was not sure where his son went afterwards.

He said he was told by some of Apping's friends that his son was not drinking alcohol even though he was offered.

The Appings live at Coora Road in Siparia.

Murain lives at Salt Mine Trace also in Siparia and Semia Charles lived with her mother at Stol Road in Palo Seco.

Pete Apping said his son recently got a job as an assistant mechanic working for Trincan Oil Ltd in Siparia.

He had dreams of building a house this year.

"Since last month, he telling me 'Daddy, I am going to build my house this year.' He was a good boy. If anybody trouble him he might get a bit rowdy but he was good."

Pete Apping said he and wife Marlene Louis were "not doing good" after hearing about their son's unexpected death.

Merlin Charles, grandmother of Semia Charles, said words could not describe how she felt about losing her grandchild.

She said her daughter, who is receiving treatment at the San Fernando General Hospital, was still in shock over the loss.

She cautioned motorists, "The drivers we have now, many of them are young and they have to be careful while driving on the road. They need to stop drinking and driving because other people's lives are in jeopardy."

Officers from the Santa Flora Police Station headed by Sgt Mungroo are continuing investigations.

—additional reporting by

Trevor Watson