Driver crushed to death by truck in Lower Pomeroon

Rohan Persaud, a 57-year-old truck driver, lost his life in a tragic incident that occurred at about 07:00hrs on Tuesday at Kamechara Creek, Lower Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam): when a 6×6 logging truck he was operating reportedly rolled backwards down a hill and pinned him underneath its wheels.
Persaud had been employed with Barakat Timbers Concession Ltd and was the driver of the unregistered logging truck. At time of the accident, 47-year-old porter Deonarine Warren was also on the vehicle. Reports reaching Guyana Times indicate that the men were travelling to the backdam when the accident occurred.
Warren reported that he was seated in the front passenger seat when the truck began ascending a hill. He claimed the brakes appeared to have failed, and that caused the vehicle to roll backwards at a rapid pace.
Fearing for his safety, Warren said, he jumped out of the moving vehicle, and upon regaining composure, he saw the truck come to a stop in slushy mud.
He said he approached the vehicle to check on the driver, and discovered Persaud pinned beneath the left front wheel of the truck. He reportedly made several attempts to free the man but was unsuccessful.
He then proceeded further along the trail in search of assistance, and encountered a group of workers travelling on a tractor. The men returned with him to the scene, helped extract Persaud’s body, and transported them to the Oscar Joseph Hospital at Charity, where Persaud was pronounced dead on arrival.
Warren was medically examined, and later transferred to the Suddie Public Hospital for further medical treatment. Persaud’s body is currently at the Oscar Joseph Hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Police have since launched an investigation into the incident.