Linden Highway accident survivor feels lucky

Oct 18, 2009 News

Paulette Yaw, of 150 Wismar Housing Scheme, said that she feels lucky to be alive, after the accident Friday night that took the life of her uncle- in-law, Aubrey Yaw.
Yaw said that contrary to reports given by a member of the family to this newspaper, it was she who was in the front seat with her husband Wendell, the driver, and not Aubrey Yaw.
Paulette’s husband, Wendell, is currently hospitalised with hypertension, which she said is probably due to the stress of the accident, and then having to return to the scene yesterday with the police.
Akeem Hinds, the five-year-old who was also involved in the accident, and was considered in critical condition, was transferred to the Georgetown Hospital and is stable and recuperating according to Mrs. Yaw.
Paulette Yaw said that some persons told her that all the occupants of the car should turn their lives to Christ, as it’s a miracle any of them survived.
She related how the car knocked out a stump on the shoulders of the highway, and ‘run’ over 200 feet into a gulley, after her husband swerved to avoid hitting a truck that was in his path.
“I am 54 years old, and I was never involved in an accident before, but I can tell you, it was a terrible experience. Right now my left shoulder is swollen, and I am getting severe pains. I think I’ll have to go back to the hospital.”
Collette Yaw, the wife of the deceased, is recuperating from her injuries at her First Alley, Wismar home. She said that she is perturbed that her now dead husband, Aubrey, had to be removed from the Wismar Mortuary, and taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Home in Georgetown, because the facility at Wismar is not functioning, and has reportedly been so for the past two weeks.
Friday night’s accident brings to mind a few that have occurred during October, on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.
The worst occurred two years ago when ten Lindeners lost their lives on October 10, in the vicinity of Amelia’s Ward.
All the residents were from Amelia’s ward.
Linden was plunged into shock and grief, and for those families, October would be a month they will never forget.
And almost a year to that date, on October 18, an accident occurred not far from the scene of the gruesome tragedy of the year before. It claimed the lives of National Communication Network (NCN) reporter, 23-year old Akila Jacobs and driver Terrence Griffith Tappin.
That accident occurred as company officials of GT&T and media representatives were being transported from Ituni after a commissioning ceremony for a new cellular facility.
Jacobs, 23, a mother of one, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Tappin, 60, of Lot 651 West Ruimveldt, died on the spot. Those injured were Ravena Gildharie, a Guyana Times reporter, who suffered head injuries and broken legs; Serena Knights, a Customer Service Manager of the GT&T Linden Branch; Nazeem Mohammed and June-Anne Amsterdam of NCN; and Kenneth Whyte of GT&T.
The minibus in which the injured and dead were travelling had collided with the rear of a truck, which was travelling in the same direction, with only a single headlamp on the rear. There was speculation that the driver of the ill-fated bus, may have mistaken the truck for a motorcycle, because of the single rear light.
That accident, like the previous one, and the one on Friday night, involved poorly lit or unlit trucks.
Subsequent to the October 10 accident, which involved a minibus slamming into a parked lumber truck, two years ago, Lindeners had advocated the ban of all heavy duty vehicles traversing the highway at nights, and there were suggestions that lumber especially, should be barged down the Demerara River, as too many accidents involve timber trucks.
Recently, lumber trucks, and other heavy equipment were mandated by the local traffic department to travel only during the daylight hours.
While this mandate is more or less being carried out, there is still the issue of poorly lit or unlit vehicles being parked along the highway, which itself is unlit.
This situation spells disaster for unwary motorists.

(Enid Joaquin)

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