Two persons are now dead after a head-on collision, involving a Route 44 minibus and a Toyota Tundra on the Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara Public Road yesterday.
Dead are the minibus driver Godfrey Gilbert Daniels, 47, of Berbice and Shondel Alana Yaw, 33, of Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara.
Eleven other persons were injured and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and private institutions.
The injured are Wayne Reynolds 50 and his father Errol Reynolds 86, of Ann’s Grove; Debra Bennett, 45, of Paradise; Chrystal Seeram, 22, of Chelsea Park, Mahicony; Dolly Singh, 48, of Annandale; Nigel Roach, 29, of Paradise; Marcel Fitzgerald and his girlfriend Jenel Nichols, 32, both of Alberttown; Chrystal Clarke, 14, of Nabaclis, Lisa Persaud, 21, and Kevon McKenzie who is a patient at the Woodlands Hospital.
An eyewitness who asked that his name not be mentioned stated that the red and white minibus BMM 8260 and the Toyota Tundra GLL 6514 collided at a high speed. The driver of the Tundra was later apprehended by police officers.
Ricky Khan another witness to the accident said that about 8:30 pm, he was awakened by a loud noise and pleas for “help” coming from the public road.
“I was sleeping and all of a sudden I hear a loud “boom” like a something explode, so I run out and I see a set of people screaming and hollering. That is when I and some other boys through the village start break out the driver (Godfrey Daniels).
Khan said that it took him and five other men 10 minutes to free Daniels who was pinned down in the driver’s seat.
He said that the Tundra had a total of five persons (including the driver). They sustained minor injuries and were taken to the hospital by passing vehicles.
Another eyewitness who provided her name as ‘Mary,’ said that she and her sister were on the front step of their veranda when they saw the Tundra, which was blasting music loudly, speed out of the corner and careen into the minibus at it attempted to swerve from the vehicle.
“I was on the stairs when all of a sudden I see this red (burgundy) Tundra speed out of the street; all them people from the bus start scream because they know what the coming at them,” Mary said.
She further stated that the driver of the bus attempted to stop. “Everything happen so quickly is like he done realise that he didn’t had no choice. When the two vehicles them collide everybody from the bus pitch to the front (people upon people) with a set of smoke everybody just asking for help.”
She said that persons quickly applied sand to the road which was soaked with gasoline from both vehicles. This she said was to eliminate the possibility of the vehicles exploding.
She added that the two persons occupying the front seat of the bus were both unconscious at the time they were placed into the ambulance and whisked to the GPHC. The remaining injured were transported to the hospital by other vehicles.
When Stabroek News arrived at the GPHC, concerned relatives and friends had already congregated in front of the Accident and Emergency Unit waiting for updates as nurses called the names of the injured one by one.
One woman, who presented herself as the owner of the minibus burst into tears after she learned about Daniel’s demise.
“He said he bringing in the bus late because he want make extra tonight because is peak” the woman said, as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Alexis Bowen, another witness, said that she and her friends were in a car travelling behind the minibus when the accident occurred.
“The driver (of the Tundra) had to be a mad man, if you see how he pitch out the corner and hit the bus so sudden; we had to breaks up because we would have run straight into the back of the bus” Bowen said.
She said that when she and her friends exited their vehicle the conductor was seen lying on the ground.
Bowen said that they immediately took the conductor and rushed him to the hospital where he was bleeding heavily from the face.
There was pandemonium at the hospital as passengers sat in wheel chairs crying out in pain. With the long wait to seek medical attention at the GPHC, families began to resort to private hospitals.
As word spread about another fatality, relatives of Yaw who is teacher and a mother of six, became hysterical as word circulated that she did not make it.
One young lady who was seen running out of the emergency unit began to scream while others confirmed their fears with the doctor.
“As soon as I go in there and I see she get up and gasp she last breath I know she done gone. Oh lord Alana, ow she gone” one relative lamented.
The driver of the Tundra, whose name was provided as “David” is now in police custody assisting with investigations.