3 die in horrific West Berbice accident

…as baby crawls out of wrecked car

Three persons are now dead while several others, including a six-month-old baby, are hospitalised after a speeding car turned turtle in a horrific smash-up at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), on Monday morning.
Dead are as Carlos Edwards, 23, of Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, the driver of the car, HC 6077; Hookumchand Parmanand, 61, a former Sergeant in the Guyana Police Force and of the USA and 36-year-old Shabana Latif of Brothers Village, East Bank Berbice.
Those listed as injured are 57-year-old Lakeram Mangal, 27-year-old Joycelyn Cole, and a six-month-old baby girl.
Reports are that the car, which was at the time transporting passengers from New Amsterdam to Georgetown, slammed into the fence at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) office at Fort Wellington. As a result of the impact, the gate was completely broken off, causing the car to slam into a utility pole

According to the Police, the accident occurred at around 04:30h on Monday morning. Police said that while negotiating a left bend in the road, the driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle and collided into GECOM’s concrete and mesh fence before plunging into a GTT pole and turning turtle in a nearby drain.
All of the occupants of the car were taken to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital, where the driver and two passengers were pronounced dead and the other passengers were treated and later transferred to New Amsterdam Public Hospital for further medical treatment.
Mangal is being treated for lacerations to his head, and his condition is regarded as critical but stable. Cole’s condition is regarded as stable while the baby’s condition is regarded as critical but stable.
This publication understands that Edwards had overtaken his father, who is also a hire car driver and had left New Amsterdam earlier also with passengers bound for Georgetown. It was shortly after that his father noticed that there was an accident and turned around to render assistance only to discover that it was his son.

This newspaper was told that Parmanand was in Guyana at his Number 35 Corentyne home on a business trip. He was on his way to the city as part of his reason for returning home.
Reports are that Cole and her six-month-old baby were more traumatised than physically injured.
Regional Commander, Woman Superintendent Carol Harding said she was at the time receiving her morning reports when she heard the impact. She explained that the accident occurred next to her house.
“When I peered through the window, I observed that there is a car in the drain and I radioed the station right away. The security guard in the GECOM compound where the accident happened, she was left spell-bounded because of the shock… I went out and the patrol came and we went into action getting the injured to the hospital,” the Commander, speaking as an eyewitness, said.
Meanwhile, reports are that the guard had just gotten out of the guard hut and was a few feet from the gate when the car slammed into the gate, pitching it several meters into GECOM’s compound. The guard was uninjured.
However, the Commander, who was one of the first to arrive on the scene, noted that that the baby crawled out of the vehicle and was heading for the drain when the Police arrived.
She noted that when she got to the vehicle, the passengers were pinned and unconscious except for Cole, who managed to get out of the wreckage without much assistance.
She was first taken to the hospital, which is four buildings away.
The Commander referred to her as being in a semi-conscious state when she got out of the vehicle.
She said they had to seek assistance from the Onverwagt Fire Department to cut open the vehicle to get persons out.
The entire process took close to one hour even as public-spirited citizens aided in the process.
Meanwhile, there have been five fatal accidents in Region Five for the year so far, resulting in seven deaths as against two deaths from two accidents for the corresponding period last year. (Andrew Carmichael)