Sunday outing turns deadly for West Coast family...

Sunday outing turns deadly for West Coast family…

Aug 17, 2009 News

Accident leaves two dead, one injured

By Latoya Giles

Two children were killed on the spot at around 14:00 hrs yesterday, after being struck by a speeding car near Tuschen Market Road, East Bank Essequibo, while walking with their grandmother.
Amisha Alli, seven, of Lot 25 of Meten-Meer-Zorg Railway View, West Coast Demerara and her cousin, nine-year-old, Ricky Kumar Persaud of Parika, perished after being struck by a white station wagon, which was driven by a 21-year-old man.

Dead: Amisha Alli

The driver of the car sped away after the accident but was subsequently apprehended in the vicinity of Den Amstel, several miles away, after a vigilant taxi driver observed the cracked windscreen and blood on the vehicle.
Eyewitnesses said that Amisha took the brunt of the impact and was decapitated. The children’s grandmother, Hamidan Jumartar, sustained minor injuries and was treated at the Leonora Cottage Hospital.
Amisha Alli’s mother, Sabita Persaud, told this newspaper that Amisha Alli and Iejaz Azeez , along with their two cousins, left home at around 14:00 hrs to attend a Muslim function at Tucshen.
The woman said that it was customary for the children’s grandmother to take them to these functions.
“She always like walk with she grandchildren and yesterday was no different” Persaud explained.
The woman related that shortly after 14:30hrs the family got word of an accident at Tucshen Market Road.
She said that a neighbour’s son who was at the scene called home and told the family that the children were involved in an accident.
The woman said that she really didn’t think about death, so she immediately started dressing to head to the hospital.

Dead: Ricky Kumar Singh

She was stopped in her tracks as relatives and friends confirmed that her daughter and her cousin Ricky had perished as a result of the accident.
“I went dressing when I hear that meh daughter and she cousin bodies’ deh on de road, I just stop everything and start screaming”.
The woman was now challenged with calling the child’s father who is presently working in Barbados.
“Me and me relatives now had to call she father and tell he that he one daughter dead, the woman cried”.
This newspaper was on hand when the call was made to Barbados.
The child’s father didn’t take the message lightly, as he was heard screaming through the telephone.
He has since made travel arrangements to be in Guyana by today.
When this newspaper spoke to the dead girl’s brother, nine year old Iejaz Azeez, he said that his sister, grandmother and cousins were all heading to Tucshen for a Muslim function.
The lad explained, “The car which was speeding just come in de corner after we done cross de road and knock me lil sissy down”.
The boy said that the driver tried pulling brakes after he probably realised that he would have collided with the children.
The teary-eyed boy told Kaieteur News that before the car struck his sister down, he was holding her hands.
“I was holding meh lil sissy hand good and de car just come and knock she down and I loose she hand and run away because de car would’a knock me too” he explained.

Amisha Alli’s mother and survivor Iejaz Azeez

He said that his cousin Ricky who was near to Amisha was also pitched some distance by the car.
Eyewitnesses of the accident substantiated what was said by the young child.
“This car come out of nowhere and knock down these two children and de hurtful part is that the driver was drunk plus he young,” one of the eyewitness stated.
The dead boy’s mother, Sonia Persaud, told this newspaper that she had sent her son to spend the August vacation at Meet-Meer-Zorg with his relatives.
“I just send he fuh spend time, I ain’t send he fuh dead” the woman cried bitterly. Persaud who is pregnant said that she was told by relatives that her son had perished in the accident, but she still travelled to Meet-Meer-Zorg.
Her worst fears were confirmed upon seeing other crying relatives and friends.
Relatives were up to press time making funeral arrangements for the children.