A 34-year-old mother of two died shortly after she was pulled yesterday from a mangled minibus she and her family had been travelling in which was involved in an accident with a car on the Lima Public Road, Essequibo Coast.
Eight persons, including four children, suffered injuries.
Dead is Padmawattie ‘Rida’ Kumarie, of Lot 13 Somerset, Essequibo Coast. The injured persons include her two children, 7-year-old Navindra ‘Amesh’ Persaud and 6-year-old Geeta Persaud; her 10-year-old nephew Satesh Rajkumar; Alan Gildharie, said to be in his late 30s, his wife Claire Gildharie and their 2-year-old son Alex Gildharie. The driver of the bus, Vincent Persaud, was also injured as a result. They were all air-dashed by a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopter and a private airplane to the city yesterday afternoon. The driver of the car was identified as Junior Ramroop.
According to an eyewitness report, motorcar PPP 733 with Ramroop, was heading to Anna Regina with a female occupant while minibus BHH 6103, driven by the injured Vincent Persaud with eight occupants was expected to make its last stop at Lake Mainstay.
Alan Gildharie was the first to arrive at the Georgetown Public Hospital in an ambulance after landing at Camp Ayanganna. His aunt, Melda Sabre, who accompanied him, said that his entire body had to be casted after he sustained injuries to both legs, arms, shoulders and his head. He was said to be in critical condition but according to her, he was responding with slight movements of his limbs.
She said that he has since related that he and his family boarded the minibus from Charity to go to Anna Regina where they intended to visit a sick relative at the Suddie Hospital. The other passengers were being taken to Lake Mainstay for the Regatta celebrations.
The other injured persons were rushed to the hospital from the Ogle Airstrip and were immediately attended to by the GPH medical team.
Kumarie’s husband, Krishna Persaud, told Stabroek News at the hospital, that he was seated in the front passenger seat alongside the driver. His wife, two children and nephew, he added, were positioned immediately behind him.
A grieving Krishna Persaud said it was around 11am while travelling to the lake that the accident occurred. He stated that the minibus had not been speeding.
He said he could not recall how the accident occurred but he miraculously suffered no injury and was able to escape the wreckage and assist in pulling his family out.
“Is I help pull them out. I hurry to pull my wife first but she was unconscious and she never wake up back,” the man said, adding that she was pronounced dead on arrival at the Suddie Hospital.
The man said that while he is still grieving the loss of his wife, who worked as a sales representative, he is making his best effort to stay strong for his children.
