Homeless man crushed to death by truck

By Kizzy Coleman

A homeless man was tragically killed on Tuesday afternoon when he was crushed to death by a container truck at Sheriff and Garnett Streets.
The dead man, who was said to be in his late 30s, has been identified only as Michael, also called “Jail Boy” of Tiger Bay, Georgetown.
According to reports, around 15:00h, the man was attempting to retrieve a bottle of drink which had slipped out of his hand and rolled under a container truck that had stopped at the traffic light, unbeknownst to the driver.
When the light turned green and the vehicle began moving, his head was crushed in the process.
“The container [truck] was in traffic when the man was crossing Sheriff Street. The bottle of drink which he had in his hand fell and rolled under the container. He was trying to get the drink before the container started to move, but the man (the driver) didn’t see him under there so when the traffic light turned green, the man started to drive and crushed him,” an eyewitness related.
The woman explained that after the driver of the container truck became aware of what had occurred, he stopped and exited his vehicle, looked at the dead man, re-entered his vehicle and drove off.
Another woman who saw what transpired explained that just minutes before the incident, she was having a conversation with the man who left to buy a bottle of drink.
“I was just speaking with him; he was joking with me, telling me that he bought bread and that he would share it with me, but only if I buy the drink. Anyway, he left to go buy his drink and by the time I go inside that store and came out back, I saw him lying on the road with his head smashed in,” the woman said in disbelief.
Also speaking with this publication, an employer of the now dead man disclosed that he was released from prison just four days ago.
He noted that the man was well-known on Main Street, Georgetown and he would always have tools in his hands, ready to work.
He stated that he mainly employed the man as a handyman to do work around his place of business occasionally.
The businessman related that for the many years that he had known the man, he never spoke of any relative. He added that it was customary for Police Officers to collect Michael during parades and lock him up.
“He would serve his time and then come out back. People call him “Jail Boy” because he would always have on jail clothes.”
When Guyana Times visited the scene of the accident, the man was lying in the middle of the street with his entire face smashed.
The bottle of drink he was attempting to retrieve was seen on the road next to him.
Up to press time, it was unclear if the driver of the container truck had been arrested.
An investigation into the matter has been launched.