A popular Linden businessman was killed yesterday morning and his wife injured after the car they were in slammed into the back of a timber laden truck, which was reportedly parked without reflectors on the roadway at Amelia’s Ward.
Leon Barrett called ‘Brian’, 61, of Lot 29 Bruce Ally, Christiansburg, Wismar died while receiving treatment at the Linden Hospital Complex. His wife Paulette has been admitted to same institution with a serious wound to the head.
Police said in a press release yesterday that the accident occurred around 05:30 hrs. It noted that that the man was driving his motor car when it collided with a parked motor lorry. No mention was made about the driver of the lorry.
Stabroek News was made to understand that at the time of the accident the driver was not in the vehicle. It is unclear if he has since been detained.
Barrett’s niece Sandy Lyte told Stabroek News that at the time of the accident the father of three was taking his wife to a private hospital in the city for a checkup.
The woman said that when he reached Amelia’s Ward he apparently did not see the truck until it was too late. At the time, the area was dark and the absence of street lights made it almost impossible for one to see beyond a few feet.
Lyte told Stabroek News that one of the logs passed through the windscreen and hit her uncle in the face. According to her, he sustained a gaping wound stretching from the temple to his mouth.
Despite being wounded, his wife, she said managed to make contact with a son. Lyte said that at the time she was staying at the couple’s home and she and the son went to the scene.
She said that when they arrived, the couple was still there and persons who had gathered were apparently waiting for an ambulance to arrive so that they could be transported to the hospital. She said that at that point her uncle was still alive but “in real pain”.
The woman stressed that the area where the accident occurred has been the scene of several fatal accidents over the years. Despite this and the fact that the area is dark, she said, truck drivers continue to park their vehicles there minus reflectors.
Lyte said that in relation to yesterday’s accident, “not even a red flag” was on the vehicle.
The woman called on truck drivers to desist from this. “It happening too steady,” the woman stressed.
Barrett, she said, was an active PNCR member and a philanthropist.
He operated a variety store in the Mackenzie Arcade.