Two toddlers among 15 injured in ECD smash-up

Mar 18, 2011 News

The damaged minibus

Fifteen persons, two of them toddlers, were injured on the East Coast Demerara Public Road as a speeding motor car overtook a vehicle in its lane and ended up slamming into a Route 44 minibus, which was fully loaded with passengers.
The car ended up in a nearby trench and the bus toppled several times.
The accident which occurred shortly after 11:00 hrs between the villages of Le Ressouvenir and Felicity, left a number of persons shocked at what transpired.
Naomi Watson, 3, Eldron Watson, 2, and their mother, Sharon Rodney, all of Vigilance were among the injured.
Also injured are Wynette McAlman, 39, Akeela John, 29, and Kean Jupiter of Buxton; Yonette Hidge, 33, Sharon Adolphus, 42, Sharon Rodney, 36, and Mark Wade, 40, of Vigilance and Allison Kingston, 17, Thelma Cornell, Florence Butler, 69, Vanessa Phillips, 49, and 23-year old Nonika Wilson, all of Friendship.

The motor-car (PCC 5937) which was involved in the accident

One eyewitness explained that he was standing in front of “Tony’s Auto Spares” dealership location when he heard a loud noise and turned to the direction it came from. He then noticed a route 44 minibus “toppling over a number of times” towards him.
Kaieteur News understands that the man ran into the auto dealership to avoid being hit by the minibus and witnessed some passengers “flying out of the vehicle” while he saw “blood all over”.
Another source told this publication that while he was walking along the road, he noticed the motor car heading in an easterly direction, at a fast rate. Within a few moments the car overtook a vehicle in its lane and collided with the minibus which was heading west, in the direction of Georgetown.
The minibus, the source said was driving at a reasonable pace, then began to “topple” about five times before it landed in front of “Tony’s Auto Spares”, where a parked truck prevented the minibus from doing future damage.
According to a woman who was standing along the roadside when the incident occurred, had it not been for the minibus slamming into the truck and coming to a halt there, the minibus would have most likely slammed into other vehicles or continued “turning over”.
When Kaieteur News arrived at the scene, a tow truck was removing the motor car (PCC 5937) from the trench, while the driver was nowhere to be seen. The minibus was still in front of the dealership with onlookers observing the damage done to both vehicles.
It was reported that the minibus driver suffered injuries about his arms while a young boy had fainted away in the bus.
When Kaieteur News arrived at the Georgetown Hospital, a number of passengers were in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit, and were obtaining medical treatment. Some of the passengers who managed to escape with minor injuries had already left the hospital while two more were awaiting their turn to seek medical assistance.
One of them told this newspaper that she was looking through the window in the direction of the seawall, with her attention diverted from the roadway and traffic, when she felt “a sudden impact” and heard “a loud blam” simultaneously.
She explained that before reality could kick in, the next thing she knew was that the minibus began turning over and passengers were screaming.
The woman received cuts and bruises along her right arm and other parts of her body. Another passenger was lying on a stretcher patiently awaiting her opportunity of being examined by a doctor.