Another drunk driver has been arrested after being involved in a vehicular accident that claimed the life of a motorcyclist and severely injured the pillion rider thereof.
Motorcyclist Stephon Beckles, 28, of Guyhoc Park Georgetown, was killed early on Monday morning when the motorcycle he was riding allegedly at a fast rate, CH 9859, crashed into motor car PTT 2510 at Vlissengen Road in the vicinity of the Agriculture Ministry.
Dead: Motorcyclist Stephon Beckles
Reports are that the accident occurred at about 00:30h on Monday, and that the car was being driven by a 29-year-old resident of Thomas Street, Kitty Georgetown, on whom a breathalyzer test was conducted, and it was determined that his blood alcohol level was above the prescribed legal limit. As such, he has been arrested.
The injured pillion rider has been identified as 22-year-old Kevin Andy of Perry Street, Tucville, Georgetown. He is currently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where his condition is said to be stable.
The car was said to be proceeding north along the western lane of Vlissengen Road, while the motorcycle was said to be proceeding south along the eastern lane.
As the car arrived in the vicinity of the Agriculture Ministry, the motorcycle allegedly ended up in its lane, and the resultant collision caused the motorcyclist and the pillion rider to fall onto the roadway.
They both sustained severe head injuries, and were rushed to the GPHC for emergency treatment. The motorcyclist was, however, pronounced dead on arrival there, while the pillion rider, Andy, was admitted a patient.
Just a few days ago, the Police Traffic Department had released data showing there has been a slight increase in fatal accidents recorded in the country for the first half of 2019, compared with the same period for last year. A combination of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol had been blamed for a large percentage of these accidents.
The Traffic Chief has said that, in total, there have been 49 accidents recorded throughout Guyana since 2019 commenced, and these have resulted in the deaths of 52 individuals.
In “A” Division, there were 13 accidents that claimed the lives of 14 individuals. In “B” Division, 14 accidents caused 14 deaths. In “C” Division, five accidents resulted in six persons losing their lives; and in “D” Division, 11 accidents resulted in 11 deaths.
In “E” Division, there were three lives lost as a result of two accidents, while in “F” Division, one accident took one life; and in “G” Division, three accidents resulted in three individuals losing their lives, the Traffic Chief detailed.
“That will give you 49 accidents with 52 deaths overall, which is a slight increase,” the Traffic Chief detailed.
“We had 51 deaths last year from 44 accidents. Over 75 percent of these fatal accidents were caused by driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding; a combination of these two (factors),” he declared.
Guyana Times was told that, of the 51 deaths recorded in 2018 as a result of fatal accidents, 41 were males while 10 were females. Of this total, two were children.
Meanwhile, statistics have revealed that, of the 52 deaths recorded for 2019 so far, 42 were males while 10 were females; moreover, four of these fatalities were children.
