“My only prayer is for strength to carry on” – Matthew Zaman’s mother on the death of her son, 8 years after his horrific accident

Matthew Zaman was just seven years old when he was struck by a speeding Route 44 minibus in front of his home on December 18, 2017.
The accident left him paralysed, unable to speak, and fully dependent on machines. He required surgery, known as tracheostomy, which created an opening in his neck to allow air into the windpipe for breathing, and was fed through a tube.
Over the years he remained bedridden, unable to move or respond as he once did.

Then, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, nearly eight years after the accident, the now 15-year-old Matthew died at his Felicity, East Coast Demerara, home.
His death has left his family even more desolate.
Inconsolable, his mother, Bibi Shanaz Khan, who had spent every day since the accident caring for him and fighting, unsuccessfully, for justice, remembers how she gave up everything to be by his side, clinging to hope even as doctors warned that her little boy had suffered irreversible brain damage.
She had left her job as a domestic worker shortly after the tragedy to care for him full-time.
In interviews over the years, despite the heartbreak, she graciously shared how, with help from charitable organisations like Saving Hands Emergency Aid and the support of kind-hearted members of the public, her son was able to acquire his medical supplies and limited physiotherapy.
However, though a grim medical prognosis, Matthew did show slight improvements over time. He was able to sit up with assistance and slowly flex his limbs. Still, he remained completely dependent on his mother’s care and the generosity of others over the past almost eight years.

Sadly, Matthew’s apparent progress came to its end on the Wednesday July 9 morning when, after completing her usual routine of cleaning and feeding her son, Khan stepped outside around 7:00 to water her plants.
“A sudden feeling told me to go back inside,” Khan recalled to Guyana Times. “When I did, I saw his eyes rolling backward in his head. I immediately called for help, and my daughter rushed in, and Matthew started staring blankly at me before closing his eyes.”
The family contacted the police, and an ambulance was summoned. When emergency responders arrived, he was pronounced dead.
The tragic and painful end of Matthew’s life renewed the deep wounds that had never healed for his mother, who said that she never received justice for what happened to her son.
The man accused of causing the accident, 38-year-old Andrew Ernest Albert, a former police officer, had been charged with dangerous driving and released on $100,000 bail shortly after the crash.
But over the years, the case never reached trial and never would.
In September 2022, Albert and a female passenger died in an accident along the Good Hope Public Road, East Coast Demerara.
The minibus he was driving collided with another vehicle, then crashed into a lorry and a horse cart. Several other passengers were injured.
With his death, the case surrounding Matthew’s accident ended without legal resolution.
According to Khan, Albert never meaningfully contributed to her son’s care, but Matthew’s tragic story had touched the hearts of many across the country. Donations came in from both local and overseas supporters.
Medical equipment, bedding, nappies, and physiotherapy services were provided over the years, and many hoped he would one day recover more of his strength.
Now, with his passing, Khan says her only prayer is for the strength to carry on.
“I took care of him for years and never got any justice until the driver crashed up and died. I am praying to Allah to hold me up and keep me strong… This October he would have celebrated his 16th birthday,” she lamented.
Now, instead of spending time with her son, she will be attending to funeral arrangements which were being finalised, as Matthew will be laid to rest today, Sunday.