A driver who is now in police custody ran over a motorcyclist at Shirley Field Ridley Square on Mandela Avenue last night and drove off leaving passers-by to rush the wounded man to the hospital where he later died.
Gregory Greaves, aged 27 years, of 589 West Ruimveldt succumbed to his injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital shortly after he was transported there. Greaves was tossed from his motorcycle onto the Mandela Avenue strip, popularly known as back road, when the accident occurred some time after 7 pm last night.
An eyewitness reported that Greaves called ‘Baldhead’ encountered a problem while riding and was thrown from the motorcycle. He appeared to suffer a “hard fall,” according to the eyewitness and was lying on the road when a vehicle flew by and ran over him. “This man de speeding and he just ran over da man and keep getting up,” the eyewitness said.
From all indications, Greaves was proceeding west along Mandela Avenue and was attempting to turn into Shirley Field Square when the motorcycle encountered the problem. The driver of what the eyewitness described as four runner-type vehicle was heading east along Mandela Avenue reportedly at speed. The driver ran over Greaves and sped away as if nothing had happened, the eyewitness, recalled.
Greaves’ head reportedly took the impact of the crushing, but persons at the scene recalled that the injured man was conscious after he was helped to the car that transported him to the hospital. Greaves turned up at the hospital and briefly spoke with the attendants at the Accident and Emergency Unit. Persons gathered at GHP said the man begged the attendants not to place him in the wheelchair, but instead to bring him a stretcher. He was then rushed to see the doctor on a stretcher, but some ten minutes later he was reported dead.
Hospital sources said Greaves suffered massive internal injuries and was badly bruised in his head. He also reportedly suffered some broken bones. Many persons gathered at the hospital said Greaves initially appeared strong, but that the persons who transported him to the hospital said he was hurt really badly.
Greaves’ relatives later turned up at the hospital and news of his death devastated them. His mother was inconsolable and other relatives gathered there struggled to make sense of what had happened. “This is so upsetting I don’t know what to say right now,” a relative said.
Other relatives at the home were emotional and angry at the same time, some questioning who could do such a thing to another person. It is as if he was an animal and still people ain’t suppose to treat animals like that either,” a relative said.
The persons at the scene who said they witnessed the accident had vague details about the hit-and-run vehicle. Since the area where it happened was poorly lit no one reported the colour of the vehicle and others said they did not see the licence plate number. Police are investigating the accident.