Pedestrian, 60, killed by alleged ‘drunk’ driver

Feb 27, 2017 News

A 60-year-old butcher died at approximately 18:30hrs on Saturday after an alleged drunk driver struck him as he was crossing the Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD) Public Road to go home.
The dead man has been identified as Bhagwandat Roopchand, a father of two of Lot 13 Bella Dam, WBD.
The pedestrian died while receiving treatment at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.
According to information received, the father of two had just disembarked from a mini bus after a long day at work and was crossing the road when the vehicle crashed into him and flung him some distance from the point of impact.
Traffic investigators said that a car, PTT 8019 was proceeding north along the western side of the road, when it struck the pedestrian, who was crossing from east to west.
Roopchand was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the hospital where he succumbed about thirty minutes later.

Bhagwandat Roopchand and his two granddaughters in happier times

A breathalyzer test was conducted on the driver, who is in police custody and it was revealed that he was above the legal alcohol limit.
The victim’s wife, Ruby Roopchand, said that she was at home when someone informed her that her spouse was involved in an accident on the public road.
She said that when she rushed to the scene, there was blood on the road but her husband was not there. “He had already gone to the hospital and when we go there, about half hour later, he died from head injuries,” the woman related.
The devastated woman recounted that when they went to the police station to give a statement, the driver of the vehicle was there but she did not speak with him.
Over the years, drunk and reckless driving has played a lead role in road fatalities in Guyana with 1,289 deaths recorded in the past 10 years. This includes 133 children, 161 minibus passengers, 95 passengers in cars and 143 drivers.
Last year alone, 127 persons lost their lives in accidents as compared to 105 the previous year.
Traffic Chief, Dion Moore has been calling on drivers to follow the five Cs in driving – Care, Courtesy, Caution, Consideration and Common sense which could see a dramatic decrease in road accidents and deaths.

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