Young mother severely injured in Zeelugt hit-and-run

A young mother is currently hospitalised with serious injuries following an accident on Monday evening at Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). The injured woman, Collisa Angelina Smith, remains admitted at the De Kinderen Regional Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery on Tuesday – one day after the accident. Medical officials have reportedly informed her that she may be unable to walk for up to six months, with the possibility of further surgical intervention depending on how her injuries heal.

Smith, who is the mother of a three-month-old child, said the accident occurred at approximately 19:30h while she was travelling home on a motorcycle with her cousin after completing her first day of work training at a taxi service in Zeelugt.
In an interview from her hospital bed, Smith told the Guyana Times that she had just completed her first day of training at a taxi service located in Zeelugt, where she had been assigned on a trial basis. “It was my first day turning out to work… it was my training day,” she said, adding that she had worked overtime after being asked by her employer to stay on. Smith said she left work in the evening around 19:00h and later contacted her cousin to pick her up on a motorcycle so she could return home. She added that she had planned to make a quick stop before heading home. “I told him I wanted to buy a drop cord and some clothes for work because I want to get more suitable clothes for starting the work,” she said.

According to Smith, her cousin agreed to drop her through Tuschen and Zeelugt using a shortcut route. Smith said the collision occurred as they were crossing an intersection after travelling through a shortcut between communities. “We were riding… we took a shortcut from one scheme straight over to Zeelugt,” she said.
However, she insists she did not see the vehicle that struck them. “As soon as we reached the traffic light by the road… we proceeded to go across the road. I didn’t see this car. I don’t know if my cousin saw it, but I didn’t see it,” Smith stated.
She said the only warning she remembers was a sudden bright light. “I didn’t see nothing… and then a light just shine bright in my eyes,”she recalled. Moments later, she told this publication that she lost consciousness.
“All I can remember is the light in my eyes and then I blacked out. I don’t remember nothing else,” she said. Smith said she regained consciousness after the crash to find herself being assisted by bystanders at the scene. “When I woke up, I was in two men’s arms, and they were saying, ‘Little sister, open your eyes; we will take you to the hospital,’” she recalled. At that time, she said she was unable to feel her lower limbs but was concerned about her cousin. “I asked them, where’s my cousin? And they told me nothing was wrong with him. They said you are asking about your cousin, your cousin is okay, it’s you who was hit,” she added.
Smith alleges that the vehicle involved struck the motorcycle from behind and caused her to be thrown onto the car before falling to the roadway. “The man knocked me off the back of the bike… I fell on the car windshield and broke it up,” she alleged. She further claimed that the vehicle did not immediately stop after impact. She added that her left foot was severely deformed at the scene and was assisted by bystanders and taken to the De Kinderen Hospital.

“They gave me injections for the pain… and then Tuesday at about 1 something, I went in for surgery,” she said. Smith said doctors have confirmed fractures to both legs and placed both limbs in casts following surgery. She added that medical staff have warned that additional surgery may be required depending on how she heals. She added that the Police subsequently visited her at the hospital and took statements, but she was not given clear information about the driver involved in the accident.
According to Smith, she later learned through relatives that the driver may have been detained briefly following the incident but was subsequently released. Beyond her physical injuries, Smith said the accident has placed significant pressure on her family. She explained that she is the mother of a three-month-old infant who is now being cared for by her mother while she remains hospitalised. Smith added that her mother previously operated a small home-based business but is now unable to continue due to caregiving responsibilities.
“She can’t do anything right now… she has to look after my son,” she said. Attempts to get information from the Police with regards to the investigations proved futile.