Three Mabaruma children are now hospitalized following an accident in which a car slammed into a lamp post, injuring them in the process.
Injured are two-year-old Dwayne Romascindo and his three-year-old sister Diane, along with a 14-year-old male (name not given).
According to a relative, who did not want to be named, the 14-year-old was a passenger in the car, which was being driven by a 17-year-old unlicensed driver.
The driver is currently in police custody.
It was around 8 pm on Sunday, the relative said that the two Romascindo siblings, of Hosororo Hill, Mabaruma, were in their front yard on their way to greet an aunt who was returning from purchasing a phone card.
The relative said the children never made it to their aunt. A loud noise was heard, as the car slammed into the lamp post situated in front of the Romascindos’ house, splitting it in two, and there was an immediate blackout.
After the initial shock, relatives and neighbours, who had stepped out of their homes on hearing the noise, realized that the children were not there and began to call out for them. Receiving no response, the relative related, they used the lights of mobile phones to locate them.
When they were found, the two, along with the 14-year-old, were rushed to the Mabaruma hospital. However, as a result of the seriousness of their injuries, they were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were, up to late yesterday afternoon, listed as stable.
According to a GPH press statement, Dwayne sustained abrasions to the chest and face, Diane trauma to the neck, and the 14-year-old possible fracture to the left hand. The release said that all three patients are conscious and being treated most expeditiously to avoid any further serious complications.
Reports are that the driver of the vehicle was escorted by the police to the Mabaruma Hospital for a checkup, after which he was transported be to the police station.
This newspaper was also made to understand that there was another passenger in the vehicle at the time, but he never showed up at the hospital.
Meanwhile, nurses at the Mabaruma Hospital are complaining that since the medivac services (offered by the Ministry of Health) have been “cut off”, patients who are critical have to wait until the next day to be transported to the GPH, by which time their condition could worsen.
One hospital official made reference to an incident that occurred about three months ago, where a boy, who had sustained a fractured leg, was left stranded at the Ogle Airport for close to three hours before an ambulance could arrive to further transport him. She said the boy was finally able to make contact with a relative living in Georgetown, who went to his rescue, but she added that often patients have no relatives to receive them. She continued to explain that previously a nurse from the Mabaruma Hospital would escort the patient(s) and stay with them to ensure that they are taken care of, but that is no longer the case because of “limited funds”.
