The number of children who died as a result of injuries sustained in accidents have doubled this year when compared to figures during the corresponding period for last year.
In an interview with Guyana Times, Traffic Chief Linden Isles said that three children died as a result of accidents last year and six has died this year.
For 2019, there have been 67 fatal accidents. Last year, during the same period, 64 accidents were recorded. This shows a five per cent increase.
“We had 64 fatal accidents in 2018 compared with 67 in 2019 for the corresponding period, which is an increase of five per cent. We had 74 deaths in 2018 with 73 in 2019, which is a decrease of one per cent,” he explained.
Thirteen pedal cyclists, he said, were killed for the year and 16 motorcyclists lost their lives as a result of road accidents. Meanwhile, 21 motorcycles and 22 hire cars were involved in these accidents.
This year, 60 males died in accidents and 13 females. Six out of the total deaths were children.
Recently, a three-year-old baby boy was killed after being struck by a speeding car at Islington, Greater New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
The child, Dominic Tyler Sulker of Lot 49 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice, was at the time at his grandfather’s business place at Islington when he reportedly ran out on to the public road where he was struck by the car with registration plate HC 9655.
Reports are that the three-year-old had just returned home from school and got out of the car with his grandmother and went into the shop, but moments later, an uncle saw him on the road and dashed out to get him. His efforts proved futile since he was hit by the speeding car before his uncle got to him.
Eyewitnesses said that the car hit the Savannah Park Nursery School student and the impact sent him flying through the air for several metres before he landed. This newspaper was told that the child landed 105 feet from where he was hit.
Efforts made by doctors at the New Amsterdam Hospital to resuscitate the young lad proved futile.
In a more gruesome accident, reported in June, a seven-year-old child was crushed to death and severed by a sand truck on the Agricola Public Road, East Bank Demerara.
Ciara Benjamin of Kitty, Georgetown was attempting to cross the road with her aunt when the accident occurred. (Davina Ramdass)
