By Cathy Richards and Alva Solomon
A mid-afternoon accident on the Linden/Soesdyke High-way yesterday left one person dead and several nursing injuries following a head-on collision between a car and a pick-up.
- Dead: Tiffany Henville
Dead is 19-year-old Amelia’s Ward resident Tiffany Henville. Those who sustained injuries are 17-year–old Jamaal Assannah, his sister 24-year-old Alicia Assannah-Barry, 4-year old Shaunica Goodridge and Quincy Dundas who was driving the car at the time of the accident. The deceased and the injured were all occupants of the car.
Jamal sustained cuts and bruises about his body and a gaping wound to his right leg, his sister Alicia sustained cuts and bruises about her body while her daughter, Shaunica sustained several cuts to parts of her body including to her legs and her face. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries and according to reports, Henville died on the way to the hospital.
According to reports, shortly after 2 pm yesterday the car, an AT212 was speeding along the highway heading in the direction of Georgetown and soon after passing the Splashmin’s resort, in the vicinity of the Marudi Creek resort, the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided head –on with the pick-up which was heading in the opposite direction.
Soon after the collision the victims were rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Hospital on the East Bank of Demerara and were subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
Outside the Accident and Emergency Unit (A&E) unit of the GPHC yesterday, Jamaal told Stabroek News that he could not recall what exactly transpired but according to him the driver of the car, ‘de doing 160 round them turn’. He said that he only recalled being picked up at the scene as the other occupants of the car cried out in pain.
- The car
As Dundas sat in a corner outside the A&E with a blank stare, Goodluck’s father was comforting Shaunica as she lay on a stretcher at the public hospital last evening. He, like other relatives of the injured told Stabroek News that he could not say what exactly transpired, noting that he was in Georgetown at the time of the accident.
Yesterday, when Stabroek News arrived on the scene both vehicles had already been moved but some persons who said that they had witnessed the incident which took place between the Umbrella Splash and Splashmins resorts recollected what they saw. One woman said that the Toyota Tundra GKK 4037 and the car PJJ 7559 were heading in opposite directions when the head-on collision occurred.
“The Tundra was heading towards Umbrella Splash resort and the car was heading in deh direction of Splashmins. Deh had another car behind deh one dat crash and they both were driving at high speed as if they were racing. In a flash was dis big kaboom and when I spin round I see deh car up in deh Tundra.” The woman said.
She said that several persons who were in the area at the time rushed to the scene by which time they said that Tiffany appeared to be dead. Efforts were pooled to rush the occupants of the car and the Tundra to the nearest hospital.
Farther along the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway SN caught up with the Tundra being towed away. It was finally deposited at a location along the highway where this newspaper spoke with several relatives of the driver. It was confirmed that at the time the Tundra was being driven by Totaram Mootoo and at the time he was in the company of his wife.
According to the man’s brother Latcho Mahabeer, Totaram had called him earlier in the day and he was invited to join other relatives and friends for a Valentine’s Day outing at the Marudi Creek along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway. “As far as I know he and he wife left to come and meet us at deh creek and it seems like he got lost and pass deh place and the next thing I know is dat I get a call saying dat he crash up,” the brother related.
Back at the home of Henville relatives and friends had converged to console the girl’s grieving family. Tiffany’s aunt, Anette Assanah, 23 yrs, who was home at the time said that Tiffany’s boyfriend Qunicy Dundas and the others left Tiffany’s 2044 Central Amelia’s, Mackenzie, Linden home around 2 pm yesterday en route to the Umbrella Splash resort for a Valentine’s outing. “We get the news of deh accident and that Tiffany had died around 3:00 O’ clock and her mother Dora Andrews and uncle Maurice Summner left to go and confirm and they called about 6 O’ clock to say that Tiffany had died indeed.”
The woman said that Dora also related that Jamal had broken both hands and feet and Alicia was in a critical state going in and out of consciousness and both were being transferred to the GPHC.
It was confirmed that the ill-fated car was rented on Saturday and was to be returned today.
Another man whose car appeared to be racing Dundas’ car has been arrested by police.
Tiffany was an employee of the Linden Mayor and Town Council where she worked for approximately one year.