2 dead, 1 injured as lumber-laden truck topples at Buck Hall

Two men are now dead and another has been injured after the lumber-laden truck in which they were travelling toppled at 53 Miles, Buck Hall trail along the Essequibo River on Wednesday evening.

Dead are 50-year-old Nigel Headley, a businessman of Annandale, Essequibo Coast and 24-year-old Ameer Nizzam, a chainsaw operator of Babnazir Street, Aurora Estate. The injured men are Melvern Thomas, 44, and Ramos Alberts, 17, both of Onderneeming Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast.

Based on reports received, the truck, carrying lumber and at least eight people, was heading out of the backdam when it skidded off the trail and toppled, landing with its four wheels in the air.
Nizzam, Headley and Thomas were reportedly pinned under the truck. The others managed to escape unhurt, including the now dead businessman’s brother, Westley Headley.
The three men were pulled from the wreckage, but only Thomas survived.
At the home of the businessman on Thursday, his family members were reluctant to provide any information to the media. His wife, Melanie Headley, informed the media that the little they know was that he was involved in an accident and did not make it.
“If you want additional information as to what happened, then you need to go to Buck Hall,” the woman stated. She also posited that her husband had been a very private person.

Meanwhile, over at the home of Nizzam, his mother Anita Singh explained that Nizzam had been the eldest of seven children. He had worked with his father in the interior as a chainsaw operator for the past month. However, on the day in question, her son had solicited a drop out of the backdam on the lumber truck. She confirmed that her son had never worked with Headley.
The devastated mother explained that after they received the news of the accident, several relatives went to the scene. “All they tell me is that he crushed with the lumber… they say he done…,” the mother cried.

She added that he had gone into the interior last week, and was due out on Tuesday evening, but after he did not get anything, he stayed back for another day. “Now he gone and left we…he left he one year-old son…now what we go tell the son when he ask fuh he daddy?” the tearful woman lamented.
Singh also stated that, based on information they received, there were about 10 persons on the truck on their way out of the backdam.
Nizzam leaves to mourn his parents, siblings, son and other relatives.
This is the third fatal accident to have occurred on the Buck Hall trail for the past month. On September 15, Damion Culpepper was killed after the driver of a Toyota Hilux, GJJ 2153, lost control of the vehicle at 49 KM Buck Hall Road.
It was reported that the driver lost control of the vehicle after it dropped into a hole, causing the vehicle to topple several times before coming to a halt. A three-year-old boy was injured along with a woman referred to as “Big Aunty,” and her daughter Zannie, among others.
Prior to that accident, former Assistant Superintendent of Police Gordon Mansfield died in an accident that occurred when a pick-up belonging to Aurora Gold Mines was transporting personnel from the Aurora Mine site to the Buck Hall facility along the Essequibo River. Four persons, inclusive of the driver, were in that vehicle when it reportedly encountered mechanical problems and consequently suffered a “blowout”, resulting in it toppling several times before coming to a halt at “Kilometre 33” on the Buck Hall Road. Mansfield was pronounced dead at the company’s health facility.