Mandela to Eccles Highway fatal crash: “You don’t knock down a man and drive away” – sister demands justice

Police have launched an investigation into a fatal accident that occurred on Sunday evening at the junction of the Mandela to Eccles Highway and Rome Access Road. Dead is 35-year-old Andra Jnr Lewis of Guyhoc Park, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

According to Police, at about 18:16h, motorcycle CR 5455, driven by Lewis, was proceeding south along the eastern drive lane of the highway, while motor lorry GAM 1442, driven by a 24-year-old man of D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), was travelling east along the northern drive lane of the Rome Access Road.
Investigators said that at the intersection, the lorry allegedly drove into the path of the oncoming motorcycle. As a result, the front of the motorcycle collided with the left-side rear portion of the truck. Lewis sustained severe injuries, and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) were summoned. He was examined at the scene by a doctor and pronounced dead. His body was later escorted to the Davis Memorial Crematorium and Funeral Home Mortuary, where it awaits a post-mortem examination (PME). A breathalyser test conducted on the lorry driver showed no trace of alcohol. He remains in Police custody, assisting with investigations.
However, persons at the scene of the accident reported that the driver of the lorry drove away from the scene following the accident, but the Police made no mention of this in their release to the media. Meanwhile, speaking with Guyana Times on Tuesday, the family of Lewis described him as quiet, hard-working and independent.
His sister, Denisa Lewis, said her brother purchased a motorcycle in September last year.
“… I asked him why he bought a bike because I told him that Mommy never liked bikes. He said it was for transportation to work because his boss was complaining that he was reaching work late. He said it’s easier with a bike to manoeuvre through the traffic,” she said.
She added that he recently moved to Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD), after his apartment was destroyed in a recent fire in Alberttown.
“A boy that we grew up with called and said it looks like my rasta brother was involved in an accident on Hero’s Highway. I called my brother about 50 times, and he didn’t pick up. All of us were calling him, and he wasn’t answering,” she said. The family said confirmation of the tragedy came shortly after via a video, and the family rushed to the scene.
“What I’m saying is, you don’t knock down a man and drive away. He’s not an animal on the road… You leave him there,” she said. She added that immediate assistance could have changed the outcome.
“We would understand if you were frightened and went to the station… but you knock down a man and just drive away. You didn’t turn yourself in. The Police had to look for you,” she said in reference to the driver of the truck that allegedly drove away after the accident. She further questioned the driver’s qualification to operate a heavy-duty vehicle, calling for all possible charges to be considered. “This is a 24-year-old driver. Where did he get a licence to drive a lorry at that age?” she asked.
The family is demanding justice.