Dead, injured in Mahaicony road accident identified

Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 December 2019, 20:31 by Writer

Four people, including a pregnant woman, were killed Wednesday in a collision between a minibus and a lorry that transports bottled beverages, Region 5 Divisional Police Commander, Superintendent Yonette Stephens said.

The Guyana Police Force said the accident occurred at about 11:10 a.m. and involved minibus BRR 5478 driven by Seechan Chandilall of lot 102 Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, and lorry GPP 9433 driven by Sherlon Wills, aged 46 of lot 30 Helena, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara.

Police say they were informed that the minibus was proceeding west along the southern side of the road when it experienced a ‘blow-out’ of the left side rear wheel which caused the driver to lose control and crashed into the left front portion of the lorry that was proceeding east along the northern side of the road.

The driver of the minibus and four passengers were taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital. However, passengers were pronounced dead on arrival; they are:

1. Keon Sealey, aged 33, of Farm, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara
2. Alana Vaughn, aged 31, of Farm, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara; she was pregnant
3. Maxwell Disreali Thom, aged 76
4. Ewart Reynolds, aged 64, of Calcutta, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.

The lorry driver and the other passengers in the minibus were taken to Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where they were treated and later tranferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital and all admitted. The other two passengers are:

1. Cecil Gordon, 46 years, of Farm, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara
2. David Jacobs, 60 years, and Angela Jacobs, 15 years old, both of Moraikobai, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.

“Their conditions are regarded as serious,” police said.

Superintendent Stephens told News-Talk Radio Guyana 103.1 FM/Demerara Waves Online News that preliminary investigations reveal that the western-bound minibus was speeding when one of its tires punctured and the vehicle ended up in the path of the oncoming lorry that was heading in the western direction.

Broken bottles and the bodies of dead and injured were strewn across the accident scene on the Mahaicony Public Road.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Leslie James remarked at an annual officers’ lunch with President David Granger that, “we have seen an increase in road carnage and this has resulted in the operationalisation of ‘Safe Roads’. That operation is expected to last for as long as we think we have seen a change in the attitude of motorists.”