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Three die, 11 seriously injured in two-bus crash
A 35-year-old driver and two children were killed yesterday afternoon after one minibus rammed into another at Hand-en-Veldt, on the Mahaica public road.
Neffeesa Khan
Hafeez Bacchus, the minibus driver, of Craig, West Coast Demerara, died from massive head injures after his vehicle slammed into the back of a parked minibus carrying five children and two adults.
Two of the children — Zackeria Khan, five, and three-year-old Wadulla Khan — were sitting in the back seat and bore the brunt of the impact. They were pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The survivors were identified as Samantha Marks, 22, the wife of the dead driver, and her two-year-old daughter, Shenese Bacchus, of Craig Village; Afren Khan, the driver of the other minibus, whose condition is listed as critical; Abar Khan, 13, of Craig Village; Neffeesa Khan, 12, of Kaneville; Isha Khan, seven, of Craig Village; Shenneze Rasheed, 35, of Craig, East Bank Demerara; Anil Maraj; Asif Bacchus, 20, of Supply, Mahaica; Doreen Serani; and Pooran Singh, of Mahaica. They were occupants of both minibuses.
Reports of the accident are still sketchy, but Kaieteur News understands that the Khan family was coming from Berbice, and had parked their vehicle outside the Mahaica Market when the bus Bacchus was driving slammed into theirs.
Abar Khan and Neffeesa Raham, who suffered neck and head injures, said that the impact caused their bus to topple into a nearby trench.
“After the bus hit, we end up in de trench, and people come and help we get out,” Raham explained.
Abar Khan
After that, they both lost consciousness, but were revived at the hospital.
Eyewitnesses who saw the extent of the damage to both buses speculated that Bacchus was speeding at the time of the accident.
A police release stated that minibus BGG 4345 driven by Hafeez Bacchus was proceeding along the roadway when the vehicle crashed into the rear of the motor van GGG 6871 (minibus) which was parked on the roadside. This caused the van to end up in the trench.
Six people have now perished from road accidents within the past three days, pushing the road fatality to 113.
Most of the accidents appeared to have been caused by speeding.
On Christmas Eve, 68-year-old Watson Joseph perished after he was struck by a motor car on the Number Five Village Main Road at about 18:35 hours.
According to the police, investigations have so far revealed that Joseph was riding his bicycle along the roadway when he was struck from behind by a motor car, which drove away.
The other accident happened on Christmas Day. It left popular drinks vendor and former footballer Selwyn Bailey dead. The accident happened at around 1:00 hour on Christmas Day.
Bailey, who faced two murder charges and was incarcerated, was killed on the spot when a Route 41 minibus slammed into his drinks stall at Joseph Pollydore and Chapel Streets, Lodge.
Smanatha Marks
Eyewitnesses said that Bailey, who had been selling since Christmas Eve Day, was preparing to leave for home when the driver of minibus BJJ 4851 lost control and ploughed into Bailey’s stall.
After hitting Bailey, the minibus ended up in the canal that runs along Joseph Pollydore Street.
And a University of Guyana student died after the vehicle in which he was travelling turned turtle on the Rupert Craig Highway in the vicinity of Celina’s Resort, on Boxing Day at around 04:00 hrs.
While the circumstances surrounding the accident are sketchy, police reports stated that motor vehicle PJJ 2916 was being driven at a fast rate of speed by 20-year-old Kurt Persaud, of 119 John Street, Campbellville, with passengers Kellon Griffith and Gerald Harry, 20, of South Vryheid ‘s Lust, ECD.
The driver lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into a metal rail and turned turtle.
All three occupants sustained injuries and were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where Griffith was pronounced dead on arrival.
To date, 113 persons have lost their lives due to traffic accidents this year, compared to 206 for the pervious year. Six children have lost their lives for this year, compared to 30 for the pervious year — a reduction of 80 per cent.
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