Two men are now dead following an accident on Monday morning on the Corentyne Highway.
Dead: Yusuf Ali
Dead are Yusuf Ali, 54, a rice farmer of Johanna South, Black Bush Polder, and another man whose name has only been given as “Kunoo”, also of Johanna South.
Reports are that “Kunoo” was driving minibus BFF 7369, with Ali as the passenger, heading to BPP, when he slammed into a motor truck, GNN 8333, which was parked along the Corentyne Highway at Kiltairn Village.
Ali, who usually drives the minibus, was not in the driver’s seat at the time of the accident.
Police in a release said initial investigations revealed that minibus BFF 7369 was proceeding south along the eastern lane of Kiltairn Public Road when the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with the rear of the motor lorry that was stationary on the eastern corner of the said road facing south.
Charmaine Patterson said she was in bed and heard the sound of the impact and was told that a minibus had driven into a lorry.
The damaged minibus
“When we come out, the bus de stick up to the truck and dem boys take out the one man and put he across the road and we din getting thing fo carry he hospital and eventually somebody carry he but I ain’t know if he make it or not but the other one did already dead,” the villager recounted.
According to the Police, Ali and the unidentified driver sustained injuries to their bodies and were taken to Port Mourant Public Hospital, where they were examined by a doctor on duty, who pronounced them dead on arrival.
Patterson said that man who was taken away to the hospital had severe head injuries.
There were no marks on the road indicating that the driver might have applied brakes to prevent the severity of the impact.
“We ain’t see no tire mark on the road. We come out and try to help dem boys to get a car to carry the man to the hospital but nobody din want their car nasty but eventually, this boy say that he drink and so he can’t drive but he end up carrying the man to the hospital,” Patterson said.
Ali’s father, who arrived on the scene hours after, said he received information at about 01:30h stating that his son had died in an accident.
According to Nadir Ali, he was told that his son was in the passenger seat when persons got to the accident scene.
He said he was told that villagers passed his son sleeping in the bus which was parked on the road’s shoulder at another village earlier.
“Like he go and take out the key from the boy pocket and drive the bus.”
The senior Ali said his son visited him on Saturday and was assisting him to repair his tractor.
“Every day actually he does come by me and if he don’t come by me he does go to me other son place. He don’t live too far from me,” he explained.
Police are said to be investigating.
The driver’s body is presently lying at the said hospital’s mortuary awaiting identification. (G4)
