Eccles-Mandela Roundabout accident: AG files $4M lawsuit against driver for negligent driving

In response to his defiance of the State’s demand that he pays $2.1 million for repairs to the roundabout at the intersection of Eccles-Mandela Four-Lane Road and Dumpsite Road, following his collision with the structure last month, Troy Humphrey is currently being sued for more than $4 million in damages.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, has commenced legal proceedings on Friday. He is requesting damages exceeding $1 million for negligent driving, damages exceeding $1 million for damage to public property, and special damages of $2.1 million, which represents the cost of fixing the water fountain and other roundabout components.

Give days after the accident, on September 20, Nandlall wrote to the 28-year-old Humphrey, of Lot 12-12 Norton Street, Georgetown, requesting that he reimburse the Government for the $2.1 million that it had to spend on emergency repairs for the structural damage. Nandlall had cautioned that if the sum was not paid within 14 days, the State would be compelled to institute civil proceedings against him in the High Court for recovery of the aforesaid sum as special damages, along with general damages, interests, and costs.
Humphrey has been accused of neglecting and/or failing to make any payments, according to the lawsuit. Nandlall is therefore requesting that a Judge give the orders outlined in his Statement of Claim in the given circumstances, together with costs, interest on any amount granted, and any additional orders the court thinks appropriate.
The Attorney General has said in his pleadings that video evidence unquestionably shows Humphrey was speeding and neglected to apply the brakes, which caused the catastrophic collision into the roundabout.
He said that, following the collision, both of the occupants in Humphrey’s car were rendered unconscious. Regarding this, he argued that the only conclusion that can be made about Humphrey’s behaviour in these situations is that he was careless.
“The roundabout, apart from being a symbol of national pride and to beautify and modernise our country, was part of the Government’s overall infrastructural programme to connect the new four-lane highway from Ogle to Eccles to the old East Bank Demerara road,” Nandlall added.
Three persons, Humphrey included, sustained injuries when the speeding car owned and driven by Humphrey crashed into the roundabout at the intersection of the Eccles to Mandela Four-Lane Road and Dumpsite Road. The accident occurred at approximately 21:40h on September 15.
According to Police reports, the car was travelling south on the eastern carriageway of the Eccles to Mandela Four-Lane Road at a high speed. As it approached the intersection, marked with road markings to regulate traffic flow, the driver failed to stop, and collided with the roundabout. The collision resulted in extensive damage to the roundabout, including the water fountain, and the vehicle itself.
All three occupants sustained injuries to their heads and other parts of their bodies, and were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), according to the Police.
The Police Force said its ranks found open and sealed bottles of alcoholic beverages both inside and outside the vehicle at the accident scene. Additionally, the driver narrowly avoided colliding with a parked Police anti-crime patrol vehicle which was stationed at the roundabout during the accident.
On the criminal side, Humphrey was charged with a slew of traffic offences last month. He entered not-guilty pleas to all of the accusations against him, which included dangerous driving, intentional property damage, driving an uncertified car, and operating an uninsured car.
He has been placed on a total of $150,000 bail on all charges except the dangerous driving charge, for which he was remanded to prison because at the time one of the accident victims was still hospitalised.
The State, including public corporations and statutory authorities, has committed to vigorously pursuing compensation for damage to, and destruction of, public property as part of a plethora of measures to address the wanton recklessness and negligence by road users, the ensuing carnage, and the destruction of public property.
The $60 million roundabout was commissioned by President Dr. Irfaan Ali in early September.