Several persons were yesterday treated for minor injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital following a collision between two minibuses at the Camp and Lamaha Streets junction.
Reports say around 9.30 am, Route 50 bus BMM 3231 had the green light and was crossing Lamaha Street proceeding south on Camp Street when it struck Route 44 bus BGG 6262. According to Yone Alfred, brother of the Route 50 bus driver Keith Alfred, his brother sustained a “puncture” to his arm. Also a minibus driver, he said the information he received was that the Route 44 bus was coming out of the western half of Camp Street and turned right into Lamaha Street.
“All I know is dat the man jump de light. Passengers dat was in de bus [his brother’s] seh duh bus jump de light cuz dis bus had solid green. He come from so and he claim that de light din wukin but I see all dem light wukin,” Alfred said.
Passengers of the buses meanwhile were still receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital up to midday yesterday. One passenger, Katie Sookdeo of Bushlot, was awaiting further treatment after completing an x-ray.
Sookdeo said she was in the third row of the Route 50 minibus. She was travelling to Georgetown to do some shopping. “We bus was coming and the other bus was going and we bus hit the other bus,” she related.
The woman sustained injuries to her chest, neck and head which were swollen.
According to Sookdeo, the minibus she was travelling in had six persons.
According to hospital sources, no one was admitted to the hospital. It is unclear, however, how many persons were treated. Along with Sookdeo, there were at least five other persons.
Meanwhile, this newspaper observed that the traffic light on the traffic island along Camp Street which controls the northbound traffic was not working. However, another which is located overhead on the same carriageway was functioning.
Newspaper vendor Ann Robin who sells outside the former Lee Funeral Parlour said she and her children narrowly escaped death when one of the vehicles slammed into the building’s wall. Broken glass and scrapes on the concrete wall were evident about four feet from where the woman normally sells.
“All I know is ah impact I hear and de bus de headin in here and we run. Right here we were sittin. Is de impact mek me aware of what was goin on. I thank God he graze there and not on me cuz I wasn’t payin attention to the road, I husslin doin someting on de table at de said time,” the woman declared.
Robin also stated that the signal on the traffic island malfunctions sometimes.