A mentally-challenged man was crushed to death yesterday afternoon after he was the victim of a hit and run at the junction of Princes and High streets as he was attempting to cross the road.
Dead is 66-year-old Jairam Beepat, called “Water Belly,” of Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara. Beepat was knocked down by a canter truck and was then run over by a sand truck minutes after. Police said in a release that his body was found at about 2:10pm on the roadway and it bore head injuries.
His niece, who only identified herself as “Bucky,” told Stabroek News that Beepat, who was mentally challenged and lived with her, would normally walk from his home to Georgetown every day. He would also walk to other places but he always returned home in the night to sleep, she said.
The woman added that Beepat would normally leave the house around 5:30 in the morning for his walks. He did so yesterday morning only to be found dead by persons who knew him later in day.
Bucky said that a man who knew Beepat informed her that he got knocked down in the vicinity of High Street and his body was covered on the road. She said she learnt that her uncle was about to cross the road when he got hit and then a sand truck came and “run he ova.”
The family said that no one was arrested in connection with the accident as yet but they are calling on the police to find the accused since a crime was committed.
