Cyclist crushed by truck: “My brother was alive when they put him in the hearse” – sister of dead man

A pedal cyclist was on Monday evening killed after he was allegedly run over by a truck that was in the process of offloading sand at Hope West, Enmore Access Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
The dead man has been identified as 37-year-old Rajin Parsad of Lot 13 Foulis Housing Scheme, ECD.

Based on reports received, the truck bearing registration number GWW 8721 was offloading sand in the vicinity of the driver’s premises and as he lowered the tray and started to reverse, his wife alerted him that he had run over a dog.
As such, he exited the truck to check and it was then he observed Parsad under the truck with blood about his body. He was subsequently pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
At the home of the dead man on Tuesday, his family refuted the Police report that was dispatched to the media. The aggrieved relatives told Guyana Times that the now dead man was hit from behind as the alleged drunken driver was offloading sand.
The dead man’s sister, Searanie Parsad, noted that she was at home when the devasting news reached the family.
“My neighbour came and told me that he want to talk to uncle Jai, all I hear is my husband saying ‘oh my God, way he deh boy’. I asked he who, and my husband say ‘hard ears’ [her brother] get knock down so I say where, and I start running. Meh run, meh run and meh brother deh under deh truck wheel…the Police them deh, and I ask them to remove the truck that my brother is alive…”, the woman cried.
She noted that even though she pleaded with the Police, they refused.
“My brother always told me that he was strong and that he would not die, he was strong. The Police them was there and refused to move the truck from my brother… instead of the Police them call for an ambulance, them bring a hearse. When meh big son take a sheet to go and cover him, my brother was moving… my brother was alive when they brought the hearse… everybody saw he was moving and me ah halla ‘de man alive, de man alive’…”, the sister noted.
She is of the belief that the Police should have called for an ambulance instead of a hearse, given that her brother was still alive.
“They called a hearse and didn’t know if my brother was alive or not, they just said he was dead. A doctor is supposed to pronounce my brother dead….”.
“They killed and murdered meh brother. He [the driver] was drunk…when they [the Police] do the test the man [the driver] was drunk,” the tearful woman said. But the Police have stated that there was no trace of alcohol in the driver’s system following a breathalyser test that was conducted.
“My brother was riding coming to me because where he get knock down was two houses away from where I was living. I could just imagine how my brother was calling for me when this happen because he knows that I didn’t live far way… my brother told me give him five minutes he coming just now, I didn’t know he woulda die,” the sister further stated.
Meanwhile, the dead man’s father, Walter Parsad, explained that the doctor at the hospital informed him that his son could have been saved.
“He [the doctor] said he could have mek it, but he wudda paralyse. The man said it was the pressure from the truck that burst he heart…is better he bin paralyse and me bin get am home, abbey wudda mine am,” the grieving father said.
Nevertheless, at the accident scene, a resident who witnessed the accident confirmed that the driver was indeed intoxicated and more so, he was not offloading sand. The man said he was in his home when he heard an impact, and shortly after he heard the driver say “what shit is this, is what I land mehself into”.
The man said he came outside and saw the man lying under the truck. The Police were immediately summoned, but reportedly arrived on motorcycles more than an hour after the incident occurred.
The eyewitness related that the Police waited on another set of officers, who also took some time to arrive at the scene. Parsad, who was a goldsmith for the past 22 years, was described by his family as a quiet individual.
The family is calling for swift justice.