Ramona Harris died like an animal on Good Friday

Apr 04, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
At around 22:00 hrs on Good Friday, I was awakened by a loud impact somewhere outside my house.
My first thought was that someone had crashed into one of the many stray animals that roam the main road leading into Diamond Housing Scheme.
That perception changed a few minutes later when my wife shouted out: “A woman get knocked down at the corner.”
I ran to Eleventh Street, which is a short distance away, where I saw a heavily-built woman lying facedown on the northern parapet. She was breathing, but was clearly badly injured.
I learned that the victim, 27-year-old Ramona Harris, was heading to her home in Eleventh Street when a speeding car struck her from behind. She was dragged for about 70 feet from the point of impact.
The driver never stopped, but continued east into the housing scheme.
An on-duty nurse used makeshift bandages to staunch the blood from Ramona’s mangled legs. Realising that we needed an ambulance to transport the victim, I asked a hire car driver to take me to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, located on the East Bank Demerara public road.
Mr. Editor, something is badly amiss at this institution.
On arrival there, I informed a female guard about the mishap, while stressing the need for an ambulance at the scene.
Although there were two ambulances in the compound, the security guard and another employee informed me that there was no driver. But then one of the staffers went into the building and emerged shortly after with one of the ambulance drivers.
To my surprise, he then informed me that “the ambulance doan pick up people on the road, it does only carry people from the hospital to Georgetown.”
Mr. Editor, it got worse. One of the staffers then informed me that they had to seek permission from the hospital Director for the ambulance to go to the scene.
They were still attempting to contact the Director by telephone when a pickup arrived at the hospital.
I learned that the off-duty nurse, with the aid of persons at the accident scene, had placed Ramona Harris in the pickup and taken her to the Diagnostic Centre.
And there was worse to come.
There was only one female attendant on duty. It was left to some civilians to hoist the injured woman out of the vehicle and assist in wheeling her into the Accident and Emergency Unit.
Ms. Romana Harris passed away about 20 minutes later.
I an urging the Minister of Health to launch an investigation into the daily operation at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, which was opened to much fanfare a few years ago.
I am also calling on the Police Commissioner Henry Greene and the Traffic Chief, to do something about the traffic situation in the Grove/Diamond Housing Schemes.
Mr. Editor, it was just two Saturdays ago that 59-year-old Cheryl David was killed, when a privately owned car, which was being used as a hire car, crashed into a culvert on the same roadway on which Ms. Harris perished on Good Friday night.
I know for a fact that several private cars are still operating as hire cars in the two schemes.
We residents of Diamond are also urging the placement of speed bumps on the main road, to deter those drivers who use it as a racing circuit.
I am also calling of the Minister of Local Government Mr. Kallawan Lall to visit the Grove/Diamond schemes and observe the cows, horses and goats that roam the main roads in these schemes.
On Holy Thursday night, a car driver escaped serious injury when a horse ran into the path of his car. Both of his windscreens were shattered. It is just a matter of time before someone is maimed or killed by one of these animals.
As a resident of Diamond, and as a journalist, I have resolved to do all that I can to put an end to this nonsense, this excuse for law and order. And is this the health care we can expect from the Diamond Diagnostic Centre?
Ms. Ramona Harris died like an animal on Good Friday night.
She did not deserve to die like this.
Michael Jordan

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