20% increase in fatal accidents involving trucks – GPF

Aug 31, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – There has been a 20 percent increase in the number of fatal accidents involving trucks on the country’s roadways this year, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) reported this week.

In a statement, the Force said that for the period January 1 to August 26 this year, 205 accidents were recorded with 18 of them being fatal in comparison to the same period in 2023 which saw 158 accidents with 15 being fatal.

The non-fatal accidents for 2024 stands at 187 as of August 26 and when compared to 143 for 2023, representing a 31% increase.

In May, a woman identified as Martha Williams was crushed by a container truck while crossing High Street, Georgetown.

One eyewitness recalled seeing her suddenly running across the road before hearing a loud popping sound. What was left behind was the body of a woman cut in half with body parts scattered across the road. When Kaieteur News arrived on the scene, it was gruesome.

Other persons recalled seeing the container truck stopping in the corner and the driver running away from the scene leaving the porter behind.

Kaieteur News later learnt that the woman was killed five minutes after leaving some friends at a location on Princess Street, Georgetown.

Weeks later after Williams’s death, 68-year-old Rudolph Caines of Hillfoot Village lost his life after his car collided with a  truck at Hillfoot Access Road, Soesdyke Linden Highway.

Police in a press release stated that the accident occurred at the junction of Hillfoot Public Road and Hillfoot Access Road, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, involving a truck, and a motorcar owned and driven by Rudolph Caines, with occupant Maxine Caines, age 66, both of Hillfoot Village Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

Inquiries revealed that the motorcar was traveling north along the eastern side of Hillfoot Access Road, Soesdyke-Linden Highway. As the car approached Hillfoot Public Road on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, it is alleged that the driver failed to stop and veered into the path of the truck, which was travelling west along the southern side of the same road.

This caused the truck to collide with the right-side centre portion of the car. As a result of the collision, both  vehicles were damaged leaving both the driver and the occupants of the car with serious injuries. The occupants of the car were placed in a passing vehicle, and transported to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where they were both seen and examined by doctors on duty. However, Rudolph Caines was pronounced dead on arrival.

Also in May, a 33-year-old father of two identified as Deoraj Baldeo also known as ‘Alex’ of Zeelugt, EBE died after crashing into a lumber  truck on the Orangestein Public Road, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

According to police, the deadly crash took place around 05:15hrs. Police said too that another man, 55-year-old Fazal Abrahim, who was sitting in the front passenger seat beside Baldeo was also seriously injured in the accident.

Investigations have revealed that a truck, GVV 9777, driven by 60-year-old Ramgobin Prahalad of Parika Outfall, EBE reversed from north to south out of a Stone Depot and collided with the front of the minibus, BSS 7322 that Baldeo was driving.

Police said that Baldeo was allegedly speeding west along the road, when the crash occurred.

A video seen by Kaieteur News showed the aftermath of the crash. The truck was filled with lumber and the entire front of the minibus was mangled. The motionless Baldeo was seen pinned in the driver’s seat of the wrecked minibus.

In the same month, 18-month-old Karson Mayers of Belmont, East Coast Demerara (ECD)  died after the car his father was driving crashed into a  truck around 13:45hrs along the Brittania Public Road, West Coast Berbice (WCB).

He was a passenger along with Monique Richmond in a car being driven by Kishawn Mayers, 30.

According to police, the senior Mayers allegedly crashed the car into a truck owned by John Fernandes Limited. The truck was reportedly travelling east while the car was heading in the opposite direction.

In July, football coach Carlyle Hunte was the driver of a motorcar that collided with a  lorry on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway killing him and his 9-year-old grandson, Malique Roberts.

In a statement to the media, police reported that the driver of the lorry, Sawdeo Persaud told investigators that he saw Hunte’s car proceeding south at a fast rate.

“Enquiries disclosed that the driver of the lorry was proceeding north along the western side of the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, in the vicinity of Kairuni, when he noticed the car proceeding south along the eastern side of the road at a fast rate. As the car approached him, the driver allegedly lost control and ended up on the western driving lane and into the path of the  lorry.”

Hunte was accompanied by his three grandchildren, Roberts and two others, aged 10 and 12.

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• accident, Dead, fatal, highway, trucks

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