Charlestown man dies, 2 injured after minibus plunges into trench

One man is now dead and two remain in a serious condition after the minibus in which they were travelling ended up in a trench at Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara. The dead man has been identified as 34-year-old Michael Cozier of Lot 3 Charlestown, Georgetown.
Based on reports received, the accident occurred around 22:50h as the minibus, bearing registration number BXX 3014 was heading to Georgetown at a fast rate of speed and while in the vicinity of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Army Corps, the driver lost control.
This resulted in the minibus toppling several times before coming to a halt in the trench. At the time of the accident, there were reportedly seven passengers in the minibus including a Police Constable, Linden Charles, and Devon Benjamin.
After the accident, the injured passengers were assisted out of the wreckage by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where Lyken was pronounced dead on arrival.
Charles and Benjamin were treated and transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital due to the severity of their injuries. Charles is presently suffering from injuries to his spine while Benjamin has a fractured right hand and his condition is listed as “serious”.
The others were treated and sent away. Guyana Times was told that immediately after the accident, the driver of the minibus fled the scene and has since gone into hiding.
Nevertheless, the body of the deceased is presently at the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem.
The wrecked minibus was pulled from the trench and taken to the Grove Police Station as investigations continue.