Driver killed after truck topples on hill

May 23, 2021 News

By Shervin Belgrave
Kaieteur News- A father’s plan of celebrating his stepdaughter’s birthday fell through after the truck, which he was driving toppled on a hill yesterday, at 26 Miles Port Kaituma, Region One and killed him. Crushed to death around 06:15hrs is Sheldon Dainty, 37, a father of five and a resident of both La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank of Demerara (WBD), and Port Kaituma.

Dead truck driver, Sheldon Dainty.

The mother of Dainty’s youngest child, Sharmin, recalled that he left home around 04:00hrs to make a trip to Baramita with his uncle’s truck. The truck was loaded with goods and was destined for a shop in the Baramita community. As was the routine, Dainty shared a moment with Sharmin before leaving. She recounted that he had asked her to forgive him for any wrong things, which he might have done. She even remembered smiling back at him and responding, “I forgive you a long time back”, but apart from that Sharmin reflected on his plans for the day.
One of those plans was to return later in the evening just to celebrate his stepdaughter’s birthday but this was not to be. Dainty left and Sharmin went back to bed. Sometime around 05:00hrs Dainty sent, what would be his final WhatsApp message to Sharmin.
He reportedly informed her in that message that he had arrived at Falls Stop (an Amerindian village located along the trail towards Baramita) and had “stopped to check the oil”. Sharmin was asleep when the message arrived; however, about half an hour later, she was awoken by a tragic cellphone call. The caller informed her that Dainty met with an accident and died.
According to a police report, the accident took place along the 26 Miles Public Road, Port Kaituma. Dainty was at the time driving a motor lorry, GSS 4472 in a southern direction along with two passengers on board, Bryan Singh, 40, of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) and Kurt Hernandez, 34, of One Mile, Port Kaituma, who were both seated beside him in the truck’s cabin.
As Dainty was driving up hill, police reported, he encountered some mechanical problems and the truck began to roll downhill at a fast rate. Hernandez, sources said, had jumped out before it collided with a “Barranca” (a bump or barricade at the side of the road) and toppled.
Singh was flung out of the truck upon impact, but a trapped Dainty was crushed as the vehicle toppled. Public-spirited citizens passing by stopped to render assistance. They picked up Singh in a semi-unconscious state and an unconscious Dainty and rushed them to the Port Kaituma District Hospital.
Doctors pronounced Dainty dead on arrival while Singh was admitted and later airlifted to the city for further medical attention at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The truck that crushed Dainty to death.

Also coming to grips with Dainty’s tragic demise is his sister, Jeanette Edwards, who upon receiving the news rushed to count the days on her calendar just to reflect on what she now calls the final day with her brother. For Edwards, it would be one that she will cherish for a lifetime. She related that it was 49 days ago when he travelled to Georgetown for their sister’s wedding. It was a Thursday, she said, when they enjoyed a “gaff” filled with laughter and story telling.
She recounted too what would now be the “last raise” her brother would ever give her. “He plays Superbet and had won that afternoon and he asked me to accompany him to a Superbet location to cash his ticket”, she said.
“He told me that he want me to claim the winnings as if it was mine cause if the boys know is him, they will ask him for a raise”.
Edwards remembers quite vividly dressing up that afternoon and walking with him down to Superbet to cash his ticket. As they entered, everyone approached him for a raise but as was planned, she told them that it was her ticket – she recalls her brother laughing playfully with her. Out of the winnings, Dainty gave her some money and they returned home that afternoon. After the wedding was finished, he spent the weekend with his siblings and mother before returning to Port Kaituma.
As Edwards struggles with the fact that she will never see her brother again, she describes him as a jovial and wonderful individual who loved adventures especially in the interior locations of Guyana. Dainty started out his life’s adventure by serving his country as a policeman and was considered to be an excellent crime fighter in the hinterland regions of Guyana. After leaving the Force, he decided to remain at Port Kaituma where he began working as a truck driver for some time now and had eventually started a family there.