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One killed, three injured
…as bus slams into truck
By Latoya Giles
A 62 year old welder was killed at around 19:00 hrs yesterday evening and three others were seriously injured after the minibus in which they were traveling in slammed into a parked sand truck on the East Coast Public Road at Annandale.
Dead: Praim-Chand Chature
Praim-Chand Chature of Lot 76, Breda Street Werk-en-Rust, who was sitting near the driver sustained multiple injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The survivors were identified as Sophia Benn, 29 of 109, Fourth Street Annandale, who received injuries to the head, shoulder and left leg, Brittany Narine, seven, of the same address, who received injuries to the hand and Richard Cockfield, 65 of 43, Bachelor’s Adventure, who sustained a broken right leg and was up to press time suffering from severe chest pains.
Kaieteur News understands that the driver of the minibus, Mark Payne was speeding and had reeked of alcohol at the time of the accident.
He escaped unhurt and fled the scene of the tragedy.
Eyewitnesses claim that the driver of the minibus lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the sand truck while attempting to pick up a passenger.
One eyewitness told Kaieteur News that the truck, GJJ 1148, was parked on the road since around 16:00hrs yesterday afternoon after it got a puncture.
“This truck park deh since four o’ clock because it get a puncture, plus it had reflectors, so I really don’t know how this man end up running into this truck,” the eyewitness said.
The witness further told Kaieteur News that the driver “was driving fast, playing loud music and had reeked of alcohol”.
The truck that was involved in the accident
But minibus owner Richard Cockfield, who was also a passenger, refuted this claim.
He told Kaieteur News that he is still dumbfounded as to how the accident could have occurred.
“I really can’t see how this accident happen because the driver wasn’t speeding” Cockfield lamented.
According to the dead man’s son, Eyon Chature, his father had left the family’s Breda Street home around midday to visit his friend, Richard Cockfield, at Sophia.
The son said that his father, who normally rides a motorcycle, left his cycle at his friend’s house and the two ventured to Enmore to visit a mechanic.
“He ride his motorcycle to Richard and they tek Richard bus and went up Enmore to see the mechanic”, the son explained.
The son told Kaieteur News that the family received a phone call shortly after 19:00hrs informing them about the accident.
The young man said that he, along with other relatives, rushed to the hospital and were confronted with the grim news.
The dead man’s wife was inconsolable at the hospital and had to be taken back to the family’s house. Chature leaves to mourn four children and his wife.
Meanwhile, staffers at the Accident and Emergency Unit were kept busy as they were forced to treat passengers from two other accidents on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.
Taxi driver Avinash Ramsook, 29, was taken to the hospital in an unconscious state after crashing his vehicle at Belfield, East Coast Demerara.
According to reports, Ramsook was heading to Georgetown when a stray cow ran into his path.
Ramsook lost control of his vehicle and ended up in a nearby ditch.
The other occupants received minor injuries.
And motorcyclist Mario Gomes was admitted at around 17:00 hrs with a broken leg and other injuries after crashing into a car at Grove, East Bank Demerara.
He was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Center, but was later transferred to the Georgetown Hospital.
At least ten people have perished in road accidents within the past three weeks.
Four were killed at Linden and two injured when a car they were traveling in crashed into a parked truck on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.
Last week, an accident at Mc Doom Public road left 69-year-old Walter Wilson of Blueberry Hill Linden, dead.
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