Corentyne man killed by drunken driver

A taxi driver of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice is currently in Police custody after he struck down and killed pedestrian Donovon Chunilall Baromsi Jakaran, a 54-year-old truck driver of Lot 86 Bloomfield Village, Corentyne.
The accident occurred at sometime around 20:25h on Wednesday on the Corentyne Highway at Broomfield/Letter Kenny village, and significantly, when this driver was in a drunken state, according to Police reports.
Investigations revealed that this 33-year-old driver, a resident of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, was driving HB 7178, proceeding east along the northern carriageway of the road when Jakaran reportedly walked across the road from north to south and into the path of the vehicle, resulting in him being struck down.
He was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the Port Mourant Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
However, Jakaran’s wife, Kamilowattie Mohipat, has refuted the version of the Police report of her husband’s death, saying Jakaran had no reason to cross the road.
The grieving woman told Guyana Times she and her husband had left home, a stone’s throw from the Public Road, to go wait for their son who was on his way home.
After walking to the Public Road, Mohipat recalled, she told her husband that she was tired, and then went to go sit in their truck, which was parked on the Public Road, while he stood on the corner of the road waiting on their son.
“He was standing on road, then I see a car coming and it hit him. He and the car just keep going, and then I couldn’t see him, and then the car turn back and drive and go away,” the woman related to this newspaper.
Mohipat further recalled that she began calling out for her husband several times, but got no answer.
“Then I see something looking like a wood far away, and I went close; then is when I see that is he lying there… His feet were bent up, hands broken, side dig away and face damage,” the woman revealed.
Meanwhile, the couple’s 21-year-old son, Kevin, whom they had gone on the road to receive, told this newspaper that when he arrived, he saw his father lying on the road, but he was still breathing.
The grieving young man recounted calling out for help, but no one came; and so he decided to rush home to get his car. However, he noted that by the time he returned to the spot where his father’s body was, the man had died.
“When I look at his body, I could see that he get dragged under the car, because he had a set of bruises,” the son related.
He went on to say, “There (were) no skid marks from the tyre on the road, which means the man did not try to stop or slow down; and then he turn back and pass my father lying down on the road and go to the Rose Hall Outpost and give himself up.”
The young man noted that on Thursday morning, the Police brought the driver back to the scene. He said that from the point of impact, where one side of his father’s slippers was, to the spot where his body was, measured 192 feet.
To this end, the grieving family of Jakaran is seeking justice. Jakaran leaves to mourn his wife and two children.
A post-mortem examination will be conducted today. Meanwhile, the driver remains in police custody, assisting with the investigation.