“God sent me back here because I was almost gone” – accident victim

– still seeks justice 7 months after near-fatal smash-up

It has been almost seven months since 39-year-old Ryan Sarjoo of Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD), gained the slightest bit of closure following a tragic accident that occurred in the vicinity of Victory Valley along the Timehri Public Road.
At the time of the accident, Sarjoo was driving out of Victory Valley in his Toyota Allion bearing registration number PNN 7566 when a minibus reportedly stopped to allow him onto the main access road. But as he was doing so, another car reportedly overtook the minibus and slammed into his car with tremendous force, pushing it more than 60 feet away and wrecking the vehicle with him inside. It is alleged that the driver of the vehicle was identified as Saif Lumelino, who was driving a black Audi at the time of the accident.

The crash ultimately left Sarjoo unconscious and hospitalised. He suffered severe head injuries, internal bleeding, and several other complications. Moments after the accident, witnesses and relatives who saw the wreckage feared the worst.
After weeks in the hospital and attending therapy, the father of two made a miraculous recovery, stunning those around him. The owner of Body Max Gym stated that his toned body was tough enough to withstand the impact of the accident. During a telephone interview with the Guyana Times, Sarjoo, who is presently employed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), recalled that moment of darkness in his life.
“A bus stopped to allow me to come out from the street, and a car from behind it was speeding and hit me; he knocked me directly on my right-hand side. I had already cleared the lane onto the next lane, so if he hadn’t overtaken my vehicle on the double line, he wouldn’t have hit me. So, when I cleared the bus, it was on the opposite side of the road.”

Even with all the evidence that he stated he provided to the court, he revealed that no justice was granted to him or even any assurance of compensation for the complications he faced.
“All this happened to me, and the court said I don’t have any evidence and dismissed the case. I’m suffering from brain injuries, a broken foot, and medical issues. Guyana doesn’t have a justice system; people who record or take pictures are not valid if they don’t testify. I was unconscious for two months; it’s like I wasn’t supposed to record my accident.”
He further cited the speed limit for the Timehri roadway, stating that the driver who hit him was clearly in the wrong.
“Timehri is a 50-mph speed zone, and he was going faster than that; he was speeding and had a child in the front seat. Guyana is not a real country. Multiple accidents and robberies take place every day. My car was written off with me inside, and I still can’t get any justice or compassion from the person who did this to me.” As he began to break down and cry during the interview, he further highlighted his ongoing struggles.
“It’s like whatever pain I go through, even now, I still can’t walk properly because my ankle broke. My shinbone broke too. My left foot still has scars running through it. My entire foot was damaged. They ended up charging me instead for dangerous driving when I wasn’t even driving dangerously. Everything happened there, and I wasn’t even compensated. They didn’t even tell me, ‘Ryan, sorry,’ and they know me because all of us are Timehri people.” To this day, he said he remains confused about the outcome of the matter and is daily seeking more answers regarding the unjust hand he was dealt in this entire tragedy.
“I want to know how I got charged with dangerous driving because he overtook on the double line and he was speeding. I have video footage of everything, and he had his son in the front seat while he was speeding. When I went to court, they told me that whatever video footage I had could not stand in court. I have about forty inches of medical papers showing my head injuries and everything else. The sickening part is that nothing came out of this, and I ended up being the one blamed while nothing came out of the story.”
One of the most heart-breaking things about his situation, he said, was that he was unable to witness his daughter’s fifth birthday because he was hospitalised at the time.
“Put it like this: God sent me back here because I was almost gone. The hurtful part is my daughter’s birthday was on the 14th of October, and do you know what hurt me? Daddy wasn’t even there for her birthday.”
Today, Sarjoo is still in immense pain, especially if it rains. He cannot do things he was accustomed to doing prior to the accident, and more importantly, his headaches are excruciating at various intervals.
With a new lease on life, he is thankful to be home with his family, whom he describes as very supportive, especially his wife, parents and siblings. They stood by his side during the trying moments, and he does not have words to express his gratitude toward them.