Fifty-two-year-old Allan Downes of Oleander Gardens, East Coast Demerara, who has been a regular morning walker, was left for dead on the side of the roadway after being hit by a speeding vehicle. The incident occurred on the stretch of road between Oleander Gardens and Conversation Tree on Monday morning.
Reports are that the man might have walked into the path of the vehicle, but his wife, Marysia Downes, is certain that the report is false. Downes is presently battling for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Budhram Heeralall, driver of vehicle PAC 5314, reportedly fled the scene after the accident, according to Police officials, leaving Downes in critical condition. He was later arrested, but has been released on station bail. No charges have as yet been laid.
A photograph that was taken shortly after the accident and was seen by this publication showed Downes lying in the corner of the highway, his body battered and bruised as if he were left for dead.
Although not a bone was broken on his body, according to his family, there was severe bleeding behind both knees, and a shattered front number plate indicated which part of the vehicle had struck him.
Devastated by the incident, Downes’s wife has expressed her anger and disbelief at the driver’s callous act. “This is just inhumane and reckless,” she said. “My husband is fighting for his life, and this driver just left him there like an animal on the side of the road.”
The incident has left the community shaken and calling for justice. One resident has said the driver must feel the brunt of the law. “This is just unacceptable. We need to hold reckless drivers accountable for their actions. We can’t let this go unpunished.”
