Soesdyke fatal accident
By Shemuel Fanfair
The victim who was struck and killed on the Soesdyke public road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), over two weeks ago has finally been identified as 22-year-old Eno David of Matthew’s Ridge, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini).
Guyana Times understands that David had been working with a resident of Farm Track Road at Soesdyke.
The Soesdyke resident, Ronald Lloyd, was said to have provided the young man’s birth certificate to Police who then used the document to determine David’s identify after his name and date of birth were corroborated with relatives of the deceased. Guyana Times understands Lloyd opted against identifying the body – an indication that the process should be carried out by the young man’s next of kin. However, several stumbling blocks were encountered when Police made efforts to have the family identify the body.
This comes in light of prevailing circumstances that surrounded the dead young man’s life. This publication was told that Eno David’s mother died when he was a toddler and a woman named Helna Scott of Matthew’s Ridge, North West District, tended to him from a tender age and raised him along with her two children. When contacted on Sunday, the still grieving woman explained that financial constraints have prevented her from traveling to Demerara to retrieve the young man’s body. She noted that even though Eno was not her biological son, she feels just as hurt as if it were one of her children who perished.
“Last week we get the news but we ain’t got money. Me feel for he and if me had money, I coulda go long. I mind he from a baby and I feel it for he because me mind he like me own,” she lamented.
Scott further indicated that in the young man’s teenaged years, he wanted to live life more independently. She told this publication that it was three years ago that Eno left the North West District for Demerara.
“I never ill-treat him. He get big and own way, that was why he gone down that side,” Scott told this publication on Sunday. <<<Guyana Times>>> was made aware that the deceased man’s father works as a gold miner in the hinterland.
According to information received, Police contacted Scott’s sister who lives in Timehri, EBD, to identify the body. However, it was claimed that she refused to do so on the account that she had left Matthew’s Ridge when she was young and could not clearly remember the deceased man.
Meanwhile, the implicated Policeman involved in the pedestrian’s death has not been charged. A credible Police source disclosed that investigative ranks are compiling statements and reports which are expected to wrap up soon. After the compilation of the case file is complete, it will be handed over to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
This newspaper had reported that the pedestrian was said to have suffered severe head injuries and had been picked up and placed in another vehicle with the previously injured Police rank and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His post-mortem examination which was conducted on Friday last, revealed that he died from “multiple injuries”.
Before Eno David met his demise, Constable Gavin Gentle lost control of his PTT 5444 motorcar and crashed into a utility pole at Timehri, EBD. The Constable who is implicated in David’s death, came up and was in the process of transporting his colleague, Constable Gavin Gentle, to hospital when he struck David with his privately owned Toyota Allion motorcar, PPP 8497.
It was claimed by Police that just before the fatal accident, the Allion motor car of the implicated Constable was escorted by a Police vehicle with flashing lights and the sound of its siren. According to information received, the driver of PPP 8497 had allegedly swerved from the pedestrian who was said to be in the centre of the road when he was struck by the Constable’s car. The driver of PPP 8497 had been detained and tests reportedly revealed that no alcohol had been traced on his breath.
