Driver killed after truck plunges into Demerara River

A truck driver is now dead after the lorry he was operating plunged into the Demerara River at the John Fernandes Wharf located at Water Street, Georgetown.
Dead is 36-year-old Sheldon Wilson of Hand-en-Veldt Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Police said on Wednesday that Wilson had gone to the wharf in motor lorry GNN 7207 to collect feed from a boat on Tuesday.
After collecting the feed, Wilson started the truck; however, it went over the rail and into the river.
Several persons jumped into the river to rescue the driver, who was found and taken to the hospital. However, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Guyana Times understands that it took some 20 minutes for personnel on site to retrieve Wilson, who was trapped in the cabin of the truck.
Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) footage seen by this newspaper showed the truck slowly driving towards the river and later going overboard.

When contacted on Wednesday, Wilson’s mother ,Valmai Ramsay, was still in a state of shock and could not speak with the media; however, his aunt, Denise Ramsay told this publication that her nephew’s death has shaken the family.
Wilson’s aunt said her nephew, who had no children nor wife, lived with his parents. She said on Tuesday, he left his Mahaica ECD home, with the intention of going to work. Little did they know that he would not return.
“We heard that the truck driver over the river and he drowned… he left home very early yesterday [Tuesday] for work…. He has three other siblings and he was the only one that is with his parents. We are taking it very hard, because he wasn’t sick; it is something sudden, so it will affect us a lot,” Ramsay said.
She added that since the accident, Wilson’s mother could not stop crying for her son and has been taking his sudden death very hard.
Following the incident on Tuesday, it was reported that the Labour Ministry was said to be investigating the matter. (G9)