Top Cop’s vehicle crashes into water delivery canter

… porters suffer broken limbs

Three persons are now injured after the Guyana Police Force-issued vehicle of Police Commissioner Leslie James crashed into a water truck on Saturday.
The accident occurred at about 14:45h on the Covent Garden Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD) as the Top Cop was returning from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
When contacted, Traffic Chief, Linden Isles, told Guyana Times that while heading to Georgetown, the canter, GWW 9079, which was selling water pulled over on the side of the road to make way for the police vehicle, PSS 4796, after hearing the siren approaching.

But the canter, according to Isles, could not go further into the corner because of parked trucks on the parapet and as such, when the Top Cop’s Prado Land Cruiser was passing by, it clipped the canter and crashed into it.
However, residents in the area are claiming that there was no siren on the Commissioner’s vehicle and that the canter was parked in the corner of the road when the police vehicle collided with it. The impact of the collision, residents say, caused the Force-issued vehicle to skid on the road and its side to be ripped by one of the “bush-trucks” parked on the side of the road.
A subsequent release from the Force’s Public Relations said, “the canter suddenly swerved from east to west and stopped leaving the rear portion on the driving lane; as a result, the left side front of the [police] jeep collided with the right side rear of motor canter GWW9079 causing the said canter to spin around and collided to motor lorry GXX 230 [one of the parked trucks] and motor jeep collided to GPP 6739 rear [another vehicle] which was stationary on the western side of the road.”
Guyana Times understand that both the canter and the police vehicle were badly damaged.
At the time, the Commissioner was in the company of his driver, Corporal Mark Smith, and personal assistant (P.A.C), Superintendent of Police Allistair Roberts, who was in the front passenger side of the vehicle.

This newspaper understands that shortly after the accident, Police swarmed the scene and took the Top Cop to seek medical attention at a private hospital in the city. This publication was told that while the Police Commissioner and his driver were cleared, his assistant suffered a broken left shoulder and was admitted at the private institution.
Meanwhile, there were two persons – the owner and driver, Basdeo Lalchan, 37, of lot 1718 Section ‘B’ Block ‘X’, Great Diamond, E.B.D and occupant Janathan Ramkellwan, 24, of lot 1374 Diamond Housing Scheme – in the canter at the time of the accident. They were reportedly pinned in the vehicle and were freed only after cutting the wreckage. They were subsequently rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where they are being treated for broken legs and back injuries, before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where they were admitted.
According to the Police, a breathalyzer test was conducted on Corporal Smith and no alcohol was found in his system. Nevertheless, enquiries are in progress.