Cyclist crushed to death: “They killed him and left him” – aunt condemns reckless, intimidating truck drivers

A family is calling for accountability and greater caution on the nation’s roadways following the tragic death of a young cyclist, who was crushed by a motor lorry along the East Bank Demerara (EBD). Dead is 24-year-old Shawn Roache, a construction worker of Agricola, Greater Georgetown, who lost his life on March 26 after the bicycle he was riding came into contact with a motor lorry on the Rome Access Road, EBD. According to police, the accident involved motor lorry GAK 7143 with trailer TYY 9718 attached, driven by a 30-year-old man of Little Abary, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD). Reports indicate that the lorry was proceeding along the roadway behind Roache when, in the vicinity of Farm/Supply, the driver attempted to overtake the cyclist. During the manoeuvre, the left-side rear wheel of the trailer reportedly struck the rear wheel of the bicycle, causing Roache to lose control. He fell onto the roadway and ended up beneath the trailer, where the wheel ran over him. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) were summoned to the scene, and Roache was examined by a doctor at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead.
A breathalyser test conducted on the driver showed no trace of alcohol in his system. He was arrested. The incident has left Roache’s relatives devastated, with his aunt, Ms Wong [only name given], speaking publicly about the circumstances surrounding his death during the televised programme “Road Safety and You”.

According to Wong, her nephew’s death was a shock for her family, who were saddened that he lost his life at such a young age. “I lost my nephew… he was 24 years of age. He had everything going for him, a full life that was just snuffed out,” Wong said as she struggled to contain her grief. “They killed him and left him on the roadway like an animal… I miss him so much,” she added. Wong used the opportunity to call out what she described as reckless and intimidating behaviour by some container truck drivers, arguing that their actions often endanger smaller road users.
“Some of the things that these container truck drivers are doing are terrible. Some of them would rev up the front of the truck as though they wanted to bully their way through. Everything else that is smaller than them should wait on them because they are in control of the road,” she said. “You don’t own the road. You’re using the road with other people.” She explained that her nephew had opted to ride his bicycle instead of driving due to traffic congestion, but believes the driver failed to take the necessary precautions when overtaking.
“He passed the driver. The driver should have known that this was a person on a bicycle. You can’t just make any wild turn because you have a blind side. You can’t see to the back of your vehicle,” Wong said. “He could have maintained the same line he was driving in so that my nephew would have been able to clear the back wheel. But instead, the back wheel clipped my nephew’s bicycle.”
The grieving aunt also expressed frustration that she has not yet come face-to-face with the driver.
“Until now, I haven’t seen the driver to tell him how much he has hurt me, that he has taken the star of the family. And it’s unacceptable,” she said.