Brothers cheat death on pedestrian crossing

Oct 23, 2016 News

-truck driver to face dangerous driving charges

Two young schoolboys narrowly escaped death after they were run over by a speeding container truck on a pedestrian crossing in front of the St. Anne’s Primary School, Agricola, East Bank Demerara.

Injured: Ronel and Ray Roach

Ronel Roach, 8, and his brother Ray Roach, 7, both of Titus Street, Agricola, were making their way home from school last Wednesday, when they were hit by the vehicle.
The brothers attend the Eccles Primary School. They are in Grade 4 and Grade 2 respectively.
When contacted yesterday, Ray explained that he and his brother were making their way across the public road when they were struck down.
According to the boy, he and his brother had already crossed the western carriageway of the road and were making their way onto the eastern carriageway. He added that a white motor car travelling south in this lane stopped for him and his brother. However, the school child related that the container truck travelling in the same direction on the outer lane collided with him and his sibling.
“All two of us get knock and fall down. We go under the truck then the driver (of the container truck) came out (his vehicle) and took me out.”
Ray said that police ranks who were traveling in a police vehicle behind the container truck also came to their rescue. He recalled that a police officer pulled his brother from under the truck; while the truck driver removed him.
Surprisingly, the children suffered no serious injuries, although there are reports of the truck speeding. They were treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and discharged the said day.
The driver of the container truck is expected to be charged with dangerous driving this week, according to a police source.
The charges come at a time when the father of the lads, Rene Roach is calling on the relevant authorities to enforce stiffer penalties for defaulting motorists.
Roach told this publication that he is peeved at reckless drivers taking innocent lives. He said that such drivers have no respect for the law and should be punished harshly for “murdering people”.
“They ignoring road signs and everything on the road and just going free or you’re not hearing back about the story”, the older Roach said. The father said that he is thankful his sons sustained no serious injuries.
He related that several children use that pedestrian crossing daily to get to and from school. The father added that there are signs indicating there is a pedestrian crossing ahead but drivers are still ignoring them.
A video of the accident seen by Kaieteur News showed that the brothers had already crossed the western carriageway of the four-lane road and were waiting at the median to cross over to the eastern half. The videos showed that the children waited for less than a minute before walking across the road, when a white motorcar made a sudden stop, allowing them to pass.
When the car passed the video shows the container truck that was in the outer lane, hitting the children, tossing them onto the road and under the vehicle. It appeared as though the truck driver hit the brakes, but was still unable to avoid the collision.
The driver immediately exited the vehicle and rendered assistance to the young boys.