Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 12, 2009 News
NUMBER FOUR VILLAGE, WEST COAST BERBICE – The West Coast of Berbice roadway has claimed yet another life. The latest victim, 25-year-old Ryan Rafeek, of the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s Junior Staff Compound at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, succumbed to his injuries at the Fort Wellington Hospital moments after his arrival.
The man was said to be in a lorry driven by his brother at the time of the mishap.
According to police reports, Neil Rafeek, 34, was behind the wheel of GLL 7891 and was said to be traveling at a fast rate of speed. Also in the lorry was 33-year old Shivnarine Shivraj of Barr Street, Kitty.
It is unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle which ended off the roadway and slammed into a concrete fence and ended up in a yard.
And the accident, eyewitnesses said, nearly proved to be a vicious quirk of fate for relatives of the late Joshua Johnson who died in the recent smash up at De Hoop Mahaicony on November 21 last, since it was in their yard that the run away truck ended up.
Reports stated that a son of the late Johnson, his niece and another relative had entered the yard moments before and were about half way in when the lorry plunged into the yard barely missing them, it was said, by less than ten feet.
Eyewitnesses said that they were left as if frozen on the spot and were speechless after their narrow escape.
Shivnarine Shivraj and Neil Rafeek climbed out of the wrecked truck and were rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital where they received medical attention. Ryan Rafeek, however, was dead.
When rescuers finally got him out he was observed to be unconscious and bleeding from extensive head injuries.
Shivraj was given emergency treatment and then referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHOC) for further attention.
Neil Rafeek was detained and remained in police custody up to press time as investigations continue.
An eyewitness said that the vehicle was traveling in the direction of Rosignol in pouring rain and wet road conditions when it suddenly swerved, ran across the road and into the yard and then toppled onto its left side.
“I saw the vehicle back wheels sort of wobble and then the vehicle dashed across the road and I couldn’t believe my eyes with the suddenness with which it happened. Was when I heard the loud crash that I realised it was real and I wasn’t dreaming,” an eyewitness said.
It was mid-November that police in Division ‘B’ of the Guyana Police Force beefed up resources for the Yuletide Season. Among plans for the period, November 15 to January 15, next, is a heightened traffic enforcement campaign throughout East and West Berbice. This involves, inter alia, escorts leading vehicles along high traffic areas to and from specific locations during peak hours on both sides of the Berbice River. These exercises would be done simultaneously and patrols would cross paths along the route.
An escort would depart D’Edward Village and head to the Abary Bridge while another would leave the Abary Bridge and head to D’Edward Village at the same time. Both (From page 14)
patrols would continue the trek in that manner until the end of the peak hours.
On the eastern side, the same strategy would be used; the high traffic areas are between Albion and the Berbice River Bridge and Borlam – Corriverton. The Springlands Police Station would handle the trek between Number Forty-three Village and Corriverton while Whim would take care of Number Forty-three Village to Borlam.
Outside of peak hours, regular patrols would be conducted going straight into the night. In the three towns in Region Six more focus would be placed on strategic thoroughfares – Strand, Pitt Street, Main Street and Republic Road in New Amsterdam, Rose Hall Town Public Road and the Corriverton Public Road. On the western side, the focal points would be D’Edward Village, Rosignol and Bush Lot particularly during peak hours.
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