Vijay Singh, the soldier who died in an accident on the Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo public road on Saturday evening was returning the CBR motorcycle he had borrowed from a friend when the incident occurred.
Singh, 27, of Tuschen, died at the Leonora Diagnostic Centre where he was rushed, several minutes after the accident. The police took the drivers of the vehicles involved into custody to assist with investigations. Singh was a Lance Corporal in the Guyana Defence Force and played on the cricket team, relatives said.
A resident had told Stabroek News on Saturday that Singh had slammed into the side of a Toyota Prado which was turning into the Double Day International Hotel. The incident occurred at about 7 pm that day. Singh was riding a CBR motorbike heading east on the public road while the Prado was turning into the Double Day International Hotel driveway. It is believed that Singh misjudged the speed of the Prado and collided with the vehicle’s back bumper, lost control and slammed into a motorcar heading west on the road. However, relatives said yesterday that the vehicle had made a sudden turn and that was when Singh collided with it. He was wearing a helmet which was broken from the impact. Following the collision, Singh was rushed to the Hospital where he died a few minutes later. He suffered head injuries and the back of his skull was smashed.
His uncle, Mohammed Shariff Willie, told this newspaper yesterday that his nephew had borrowed the motorcycle from a friend and had gone home to shower after working out at the gym and was returning it when the incident occurred. Singh rented a home in Tuschen but often visited his mother at her home in Meten-meer-Zorg. He had ridden the bike before, his uncle said.
Willie said that they received a call from a neighbour who works at the hospital and rushed there. “We go in and have a look at him and about 15 minutes after, they pronounced him dead”, the man recalled. He said that Singh’s death was a big loss to the family and recalled that he was always joking and did not normally smoke or drank.
Singh joined the GDF about eight years ago and at first, had been attached to the Coast Guard. More recently, he played cricket for the GDF, Willie said. Singh is survived by his parents, his reputed wife, his brother and sister, and other relatives.
