A 57-year-old Special Constable and a 28-year-old man of Region One (Barima-Waini) were both crushed to death in separate accidents.
Dead are Dawn Booker and Steve Ashby.
Dead: 57-year-old Special Constable Dawn Booker
Reports are that at about 08:15h, Booker, who was riding a pedal cycle, was ran over by a truck in the vicinity of La Penitence Market, Georgetown.
According to Police, motor lorry GNN 5584, which ran over the woman, is owned by a resident of No 47 Village, Corentyne Berbice, and was being driven by a 26-year-old driver from Section B No 47 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.
Booker was a Special Corporal who was stationed at S/C Headquarters, attached to the Small Business Bureau and resided at Perseverance, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.
The truck that was involved in the accident at La Penitence Public Road
According to video footage of the accident that was obtained by Police, the female pedal cyclist was proceeding south on the eastern parapet of La Penitence Public Road, Georgetown, whilst a male pedal cyclist was proceeding in the opposite direction on the said eastern parapet. As the two cyclists were passing each other, Special Corporal Booker swerved west and lost control of her pedal cycle. She fell on the eastern edge of the road, where she came into contact with the left rear wheel of motor lorry GNN 5584, which was proceeding south on the said eastern side of the road.
The pedal cycle the Special Constable was riding
Police said that as result of the impact, Corporal Booker sustained severe injuries to her head and other parts of her body. Shortly after, personnel from the EMT arrived on the scene where Corporal Booker was examined and pronounced dead by a doctor of the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The body was then escorted by the Police to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.
The truck and the pedal cycle are at the Ruimveldt Police Station to be examined by a Licensing and Certifying Officer.
A breathalyser test was conducted on the driver which showed no sign of alcohol. He was, however, taken into custody at Ruimveldt Police Station assisting with investigation.
In Region One, Ashby of Canal Bank, Port Kaituma, was the pillion rider of an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) when the rider lost control.
The incident occurred at around 18:40h on Sunday as Ashby and a Brazilian national were travelling along the Nassano Backdam Main Access Road on the ATV.
Steve Ashby pinned under the ATV
The vehicle was proceeding north along the roadway when the driver (the Brazilian) lost control of the ATV. As a result, the vehicle collided with a baranka and turned turtle.
The pillion rider became pinned under the vehicle while the driver fled the scene.
The man’s body was eventually picked up and escorted to the Port Kaituma District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Welfare Visit
Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force’s Welfare Officer and her team paid a visit to the relatives of Woman Corporal Dawn Booker.
The Welfare Officer expressed her regret of the loss of a talented and hardworking rank to the relatives of Corporal Booker, whose efforts she said have come to be recognised by her colleagues and all others she may have come into contact with.
Corporal Booker, who enlisted in the Guyana Police Force on June 1, 1990, was stationed at the Special Constabulary Headquarters and performed duties as a member of the Joint Services Mixed Voice Choir at the time of her death.
Also part of the team headed by Deputy Superintendent Jewel Sullivan were: Woman Inspector Sharon Mingo, Woman Lance Corporal Stacy Carter, both of the Force’s Welfare Department, and Lance Corporal Rudy Dutchin, a friend and fellow singer from the Joint Service’s Mixed Voice Choir.
