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Family rejects police account, demands justice for horse trainer killed in Berbice crash
(Kaieteur News) – The grieving family of horse trainer Carlton Albert Pluck is demanding justice following his death, rejecting the police’s preliminary account of the fatal crash and insisting that he was not speeding at the time of the collision.
Pluck, 42, of Lot 207 No. 8 Village, West Coast Berbice, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday after being involved in a horrific two-vehicle collision on Sunday along the No. 22 Public Road, West Coast Berbice.
Carlton Pluck
The father of three was initially rushed to the Bath Regional Hospital in critical condition before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he died at about 4:30 p.m. without regaining consciousness.
Police had reported that Pluck was travelling east at a fast rate and attempted to overtake a line of traffic when his vehicle collided head-on with another driven by Andre Stephen of New Amsterdam.
However, Pluck’s relatives strongly dispute that version of events, maintaining that Stephen was the one speeding while Pluck’s vehicle was stationary at the side of the road.
Speaking with Kaieteur News on Wednesday, family members said the extensive damage to the side of Pluck’s vehicle supports their claim that Stephen crashed into him.
“All we want is justice for him because this speeding on this road has to stop. Every day people are dying because of speeding,” Pluck’s father, Brook Benton Pluck, said.
He further claimed that when he visited the crash scene, he learned that Stephen had several outstanding speeding tickets.
“When I went on the site and looked at his car, they told me he had about six or seven speeding tickets that he never paid. I asked them if this guy likes to speed,” he said.
Pluck’s vehicle, which relatives pointed out was rammed from the side.
Brook Pluck also claimed that eyewitnesses told him his son had been pulled over at the roadside when Stephen’s vehicle slammed into him.
He further alleged that a police officer at the scene told him Stephen had earlier been issued a speeding ticket at Bath Settlement.
“The police officer was there. The police officer said they had just given him a ticket at Bath Settlement for speeding,” he claimed.
Pluck’s mother, Sumintra Ramkissoon, recalled that her final conversation with her son took place on Saturday after he returned home from work and asked what she had prepared for lunch.
The following morning, just before 11:00 a.m., she received a call informing her that he had been involved in an accident.
“I left home and went to the hospital. When I reached there, he hadn’t arrived yet. When I saw him, he was very critical. The doctors tried their best,” she said.
Stephen’s vehicle
According to the family, Pluck suffered five broken ribs, punctured lungs, a severed spine and severe head injuries.
“I really need justice for my son because he is in the mortuary and the other driver is free,” Ramkissoon said through tears.
Both vehicles were extensively damaged, and all occupants sustained injuries.
Stephen was treated at the Bath Regional Hospital and later discharged. A breathalyser test conducted on him recorded 17 micrograms, below the legal alcohol limit for driving.
Two passengers travelling with Stephen—Sean Cadogan, 37, and Delon Cadogan, 33, both of New Amsterdam, were also injured. Sean Cadogan was transferred to the GPHC for further treatment, while Delon Cadogan remained under observation in stable condition.
The second of eight children, Pluck was a respected figure in Guyana’s horseracing fraternity.
He worked as an assistant horse trainer and blacksmith at the Jumbo Jet Racing Stable, where he had nurtured a passion for horses since the age of 14.
He had just completed his duties at the stable and was on his way home when the fatal crash occurred.
Since his passing, several prominent members of the horseracing community have paid tribute, describing Pluck as a dedicated horseman whose loss will be deeply felt.
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