Fireman, who drove minibus in mishap, stabbed

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:01 by GxMedia

A fireman, who was driving a minibus, was Sunday expected to be questioned by police in connection with an accident involving 21 persons including himself and the conductor.

Figures dispute claims by the conductor, Travis Price, that the Route 48 bus was not overloaded at the time of the mishap.

Usually reliable sources confirmed that fire fighter Reginald Europe was driving the bus when it ended up in a canal on Mandela Avenue just off the junction with Homestretch Avenue. The canal is near the residence of the Chairman of the opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), David Granger.

Europe was stabbed several times about his body by angry passengers after they were all rescued from the blue ‘pit-bull’ bus number BNN 8352.

Price denied that the bus was carrying 19 passengers, but the names of the injured persons indicated that they were all aboard the vehicle. Sources said they were all expected to be treated and sent home because none of them sustained serious or life-threatening injuries.

Also denying that the bus was speeding, Price explained to Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com) that as the vehicle was approaching the junction he realised that the driver was trying desperately to “mash brakes” without success.

He said Europe opted to head for the trench to avoid slamming into an oncoming minibus that was turning south from Mandela Avenue west on to Homestretch Avenue

The injured are:

1. Reginald Europe
2. Travis Price
3. Ashley George 3 years
4. Hortense George
5. Astroy George
6. Kiana Browne 15
7. Neil Pinder,8,
8. Nigel Grannum, 22
9. Akeem Drakes,18
10. Abigail August,4,
11. Margaret Augustus, 37
12. Christopher Augustus 8
13. Joshua Augustus
14. Antonio Augustus, 32
15. Anthony Hamilton,25
16. Bonita Clarke,58
17. Tamika Clarke,6
18. Patricia Martin 37
19. Mark Gonsalves,18
20. Nicholas Barrow 17
21. Nicholas Lyttle,20

Only recently, Granger’s APNU called for the road carnage to be treated as a national priority by the Guyana government.

More than 50 persons have died on the roads so far for the year.