Bus driver gets 3 years for causing conductor’s death

May 31, 2017 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kevin Ferrell drove a minibus with three defective tyres. Passengers were even allowed in the minibus which crashed into a utility pole after one of the tyres suffered a blow out. The conductor, Leonard Henry, died after he was crushed by

Jailed: Kevin Ferrell

the bus. Other passengers were flung out of the window.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan told 31-year-old Ferrell of Supply, East Bank Demerara, that a careful and competent driver would have checked his tyres before embarking on a journey. The Magistrate also told him that the condition of his vehicle was unsafe for driving and road users before jailing him for three years on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
On October 11, 2016 at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, Ferrell drover minibus BVV 901 in a manner dangerous to the public causing the death of Henry, of Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara.
According to reports, just before 10:00hrs, the driver of the Route 42 minibus lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash into a utility pole before toppling on its left side. The accident occurred a short distance from the Providence Police Station.
Reports indicate that the conductor’s head was pinned under the vehicle as a result of it toppling on one side.
According to facts presented in court, Ferrell drove the bus in a northerly direction on the East Bank Demerara Public road, when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a utility pole located on a median between two carriageways.
The conductor ended up under the vehicle. He was later pulled out and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A post mortem report revealed that Henry died of hemorrhage as a result of blunt trauma and that his injuries were consistent with a motor vehicle accident.
During her ruling, the Chief Magistrate said that an eyewitness, who was driving a short distance from the minibus said that it was raining at the time of the accident.
The Magistrate added that a passenger in the bus disclosed that the driver was driving recklessly and that she was flung out the window when the bus crashed into the utility pole.
According to the Chief Magistrate, a police rank who examined the bus after the accident testified that its front tyres were smooth and one of them had a puncture.
During the trial, Ferrell told the court that he lost control of the vehicle because the road was wet. The conductor was the owner of the minibus.