1 hospitalised after Berbice triple vehicular accident
Police in Berbice have launched an investigation into an apparent attempt to cover-up evidence by a traffic constable after a three-car collision on the East Bank Berbice main access road on Thursday evening.
The accident occurred at about 20:30 after a speeding car slammed into two parked vehicles and two bicycles. According to reports, the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Eyewitnesses explained that after the collision the driver told them that it was his birthday. However, his drivers’ licence showed December 11 as his birthday.
One of the passengers of the speeding car said that shortly before the impact, the car was moving at 140 KPH. The accident occurred at Edinburg. Bhiro Ragbeer, driver of one of the parked cars, explained that he had just exited his vehicle and was about to enter a shop when he noticed a car heading towards him at a fast rate.
the car that did the damage
According to Ragbeer, the car was swaying on the road and he was forced to make a dash to safety.
He escaped with just a minor injury to his foot as the vehicle slammed into the parked car, sending it into another. Meanwhile, Maxwell Semple, the driver of the second parked car which was hit, said he did not see what happened but heard the impact.
When Police arrived, Semple said he and Ragbeer were ordered to remove their vehicles and take them to the police station. He is alleging that the female constable did not make any markings on the road nor did she take any measurements when the order was made.
Both drivers contend that the driver of the speeding car appeared to be under the influence, however no Breathalyzer test was conducted at the scene. Semple heads the East Bank Berbice Hire Car Association.
Officer in charge of traffic Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud told Guyana Times that the Police had not reported the matter as a minor accident until it was reported to him by a civilian. He said the officer claimed to have carried out a Breathalyzer test on the driver at New Amsterdam and it recorded zero per cent alcohol.
He said when he asked the officer for the corresponding print out from the machine he was told that the machine was malfunctioning and could not generate a printout.
However, the Superintendent explained that in such cases the Duty Officer should request that one is brought from West Berbice or the Corentyne. However, this was not done.
The matter was referred as minor because the driver was treated at the hospital and sent away.
Meanwhile, the driver of the speeding car, Paul Holder, 25, of Pilot Street New Amsterdam said he suffered a blowout and lost control of the vehicle.
One of the passengers Jermaine August, 28, of Edingburg was treated at the New Amsterdam Hospital for a fractured arm, and later discharged. Last year he was also a patient of the same hospital after a vehicular accident left one dead.
The driver of the speeding car was taken into custody on Friday afternoon.
Superintendent Persaud noted that the accident was an act of recklessness.
