Motorcyclist killed, pillion rider injured in Corentyne crash

A 31-year-old man is now dead following a collision between a motorcycle and a motor lorry along the Williamsburg Public Road, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Sunday, with initial investigations indicating that the lorry turned into the path of the oncoming bike.
Dead is Harish Gopilall, of Lot 25 D Williamsburg Village. The pillion rider, Yedesh Singh, 27, of Fyrish Village, remains hospitalised with injuries.

Police said the accident occurred at about 21:00h and involved motor lorry GVV 5043, owned by an engineering company on the East Bank of Demerara, and motorcycle CR 1603, which was being ridden by Gopilall.
According to investigators, the lorry was proceeding east along the northern lane at a normal rate, while the motorcycle was travelling in the opposite direction at a fast rate. As the motorcycle approached, the lorry driver allegedly made a sudden right turn into its path, resulting in a collision on the southern side of the road.
The impact flung both Gopilall and Singh off the motorcycle. They were picked up in a semi-conscious state by public-spirited citizens and rushed to the Port Mourant Public Hospital.

Gopilall was pronounced dead on arrival while Singh was treated and later transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he was admitted as a patient. He is said to have sustained a fractured jaw and clavicle (collarbone), but remains in stable condition.
The driver of the lorry, a 27-year-old man from Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara, is currently in police custody assisting with investigations. He was administered two breathalyser tests, which returned readings of 31 and 32 micrograms. Both the lorry and motorcycle have been lodged at the Rose Hall Town Police Station pending examination by a licensing and certifying officer.
At the family’s Williamsburg home, Rangasamy Gopilall, the father of the deceased, struggled to come to terms with the sudden loss of his son.
He recalled learning of the accident shortly after returning home from work.
“I came home and I hear the bike start… then I get a message that I had to go to the hospital,” the grieving father said.

He said he arrived at the medical facility, where he saw his son.
“When I get there, I see him… and then the nurse call me and tell me he alreadys gone,” he recounted.
The elder Gopilall said he was informed that his son sustained multiple injuries, including to the head and chest.
He also shared what he was told about how the crash occurred, claiming that the lorry turned into his son’s path.
Gopilall was described as a hardworking man who was employed in manual labour, including estate-related work. According to his father, he had previously done electrical work before moving into other forms of employment.
He was the fourth of five children and leaves behind a partner and a five-year-old child.
Asked how the family is coping, his father admitted the loss has been overwhelming.
“For now, it really, really hard… this is the first time I never experience something like this,” he said.
Police investigations into the fatal crash are continuing.