Twelve-year-old Vishram Persaud, who was struck down along the Friendship, East Bank Demerara Public Road two weeks ago, opened his eyes yesterday for the first time.
The lad’s condition remains serious but stable and his parents have been calling for action after police released the driver of the vehicle and told them they cannot do anything until the boy gets better.
Persaud’s mother, Saymaa Persaud, told Stabroek News yesterday that there is hope that her son would regain full consciousness in time. She said that the doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) have related that the young man’s road to recovery may be slow as his head and stomach injury are severe. She said her son was briefly looking at relatives yesterday and she noted that he continues to experience problems breathing.
Stabroek News was told that the driver of the car which was involved in the accident was never arrested and only briefly detained after the accident which occurred two Mondays ago. The car was also released and police told the lad’s mother that they cannot do anything until Vishram gets better, they said.
On November 8, Vishram was going to purchase a drink when he was hit by a car at a bridge on the Friendship public road sometime between 4 pm and 5 pm. Saymaa told this newspaper that a boy informed them that he was hit and she rushed out. When she reached the spot, he had already been taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. He was later transferred to the GPH.
Saymaa said that the bridge where the incident occurred was undergoing repairs and an employee who directs traffic there told her that she had put up the ‘Stop’ sign for vehicles heading north to the city.
The vehicle was heading north and Vishram was heading south on his bicycle. She said that her son’s bicycle was under the vehicle but she left the scene and went to the hospital where he had been taken.
Reports are that the driver of the vehicle was about to drive away but because the bicycle was under the vehicle, he was forced to stop. Following the incident, the driver -who had two passengers- a male and female, took the bicycle, put it in the car’s trunk and went to the Grove Police Station.
Meanwhile, Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara resident Junior Sumner, who was struck down by a vehicle close to the La Penitence Market on Saturday has regained consciousness but his condition also remain serious.
His mother Venita Sumner told Stabroek News yesterday at the GPH that her 9-year-old son was responding to relatives when he was being spoken to. She noted however, that the boy’s head injury was severe and both sides of his head were swollen yesterday.
Reports are that the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident was briefly hospitalized after dropping the lad to the hospital on Saturday.
He remained in police custody yesterday.
