Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 27, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
It was the 18th of July, 2011 shortly after 19:00 hrs 7pm. I was sitting outside the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital, with a friend because her son was taking oxygen in the asthma room. I was observing the quiet atmosphere and the passersby. Suddenly the surroundings erupted into Police sirens, it was a police car (silver BMW) driven at fast breakneck speed almost took the hospital gate off because the female security did not cover the gate in time.
I paid no mind, thinking that the police had shot someone, but when I saw this Police officer in black clothes, driving the vehicle into the emergency unit and came out before the vehicle even stopped and started to scream for the attendant’s assistance, I knew there was disaster.
Upon closer inspection, this officer found a stretcher lying on the ground like First Aid Training and started to take out casualties. There were children mostly ages from eleven years down and they were covered in blood and could not be identified at the time.
I saw a boy with his skull cap torn off and my body froze for a moment.
Then I glanced across and saw a Queen’s College girl washed in blood from her face down, in a wheel chair. As I looked around further there was this police pick up, brown in colour, bearing number plate PLL6342 with an adult female in blood, her hands bore signs of serious abrasion and lacerations, her face was swollen. Most of the victims were unconscious.
One young man was frothing at the mouth. Also on the scene to help were a route 48 minibus BMM5026 and a yellow taxi cab. These persons all showed unity and support. Nobody was thinking about their vehicles getting bloodied; their aim was to save lives.
But what touched me the most was the efficient work of this black clothes policeman that was driving the BMW.
He must be complimented for a job well done. He had his work cut out and he did the job as a professional. This officer just had casualties on the stretcher. While the attendant was struggling to push his hands into a pair of gloves, this officer had all the casualties that were transported in the back seat of the car out of the vehicle and into the emergency unit.
This officer did not hesitate; the police car had blood on the seats; the officer’s clothes was in blood; he was not thinking about blood on his uniform, he was trying to save lives, and that demonstrates love and unity, true patriotism.
I did not get the number plate of the car but I can remember the driver. He worked so swiftly and briskly that before I knew it he had driven back through the gate and was racing to the accident scene because his words were, “There are more persons out there.”
This officer needs a medal of recognition for his service.
My daughter works at the A&E. I stood there and watched her take a child from the Police Officer and placed her on the stretcher. She too displayed a mother’s feelings because she has kids.
Emergency cases such as these, medical personnel are never too much. The nurses, the doctors, they all did well.
As for the security at the door he had to bring the crowd to order, but he erred by not allowing even one relative to identify their family member and that caused some amount of wailing as people became hysterical.
I felt tortured by my failure to render assistance. I have sent many applications to the Nursing School and never received a reply. I applied on numerous occasions for the Patient Care Training at GPHC, I received no reply.
I did First Aid Training at the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, I watch as my training go to waste all because I don’t have the CXC passes to get into the Nursing School. But I prayed silently for the injured.
I do hope that this serves as a wake up call for errant delinquent drivers. How can a driver license expire for months and left unnoticed? These drivers need screening on a regular basis, just to keep them in line. What kind of driver is he?
Do drivers give their vehicles a thorough check throughout the day or just get into the bus and drove off. The rush for gold has left many families with pains for the remainder of their lives. And some is battling for recovery.
The government needs to bring back the transport buses and passengers will feel much at ease traveling instead of being in fear for their lives.
The driver of this ill fated bus, the conductor/ adult passengers are to be held accountable for this terror. They sit in the buses the driver races like he is at the South Dakota Circuit and nobody says anything out of fear of being verbally abused or ask to get off the bus. Some of them are disrespectful and full of arrogance. I had the experience traveling in minibuses, where most drivers, and conductors, along with their friends were buying Guinness by the rounds,
The driver then drove at speed, Guinness bottle in one hand while the music went to the fullest.
No amount of talk and protest can help this situation. I would recommend that the Guyana Police Force issue an emergency bulletin for all drivers to attend training sessions once each month on a rotation system.
Agonised commuter
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