An accident which occurred at Le Ressouvenir on the East Coast last evening has resulted in the death of a Buxton resident.
62-year-old Leslie Simpson of 8 Company Road, Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was pronounced Dead on Arrival (DOA) at the Georgetown Public Hospital last evening after the motorcycle he was riding slammed into a truck as he was making his way to work.
His body was taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour.
Eyewitnesses say that the accident occurred near the corner which separates Le Ressouvenir from Montrose. According to reports, Simpson, who was travelling east along the highway, failed to successfully navigate a turn in the road and wound up in the path of the oncoming truck, which was headed in the opposite direction.
It was said that the man ended up slamming into the left side of the truck, after which the motorcycle he was riding burst into flames. It is not clear if Simpson died instantly but it was evident that the now dead man did sustain burns to several parts of his body.
Kawall Persaud, a friend and co-worker of Simpson, said that he and the man worked as guards at the Georgetown Technical Institute. Kawall said that he received a call from his wife who told him than Simpson was involved in an accident. Upon hearing the news he said he went down to the hospital to check on his friend since he was concerned.
Kawall said that Simpson had been riding since he knew him, and that the man had three motorcycles. He related that the motorcycle which Simpson was riding at the time of the accident was constantly leaking fuel. It had been this way for sometime. It is assumed that the leaked fuel may have sparked the blaze after the collision.
Relatives of the truck driver, 40-year-old Mahendra Persaud, said that the man and a porter were heading back to their workplace, “Rohit’s Lumber Yard,” when the accident occurred. Persaud’s relatives said that they were told that Simpson was looking down when he ran into the lane of the man and collided with the truck.
Up to last evening, Persaud remained at the Sparendaam Police Station where he was assisting with the investigations into the matter.
Norma Simpson, the man’s wife said that she was at home watching television when she got the news. The woman said that her television “all of a sudden went off, and then me daughter call me and tell me.” The woman said that Simpson had left their home around 6:45pm for work, and told her that he would call when he got it. She said that she received the call about her husband’s death sometime after eight.
Leslie Simpson lived with his wife Norma at their Buxton residence. They were married for 16 years.
