An early morning hit-and-run accident at Golden Grove, West Coast Berbice has resulted in the death of pedal cyclist, Neil Wallerson, 53, of Hopetown Village.
He was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Reports are that he sustained head injuries and there was a gaping wound to the back of his head.
Wallerson was riding his bicycle along the roadway when a Toyota Tundra vehicle struck him from behind.
He was flung some distance on impact.
His badly mangled bicycle was taken to the Fort Wellington station while police are yet to locate the vehicle which hit him.
Residents told this newspaper that around 5.15 am they heard the loud noise and thought that a cow was hit.
When they looked out they saw the driver slow down a bit and after apparently realising someone had been hit, the driver sped away. Residents said the vehicle was “wobbling.”
His former partner, Hazel James said she heard someone shouting for her son to “come quick and see yuh ole man get knock down in front ‘Water Gate’ [a disco],” a short distance away.
She was still lying in bed and when she heard that she jumped out and told her daughter, Melissa “hear yuh father get knock down…”
At the time, Melissa, a medex with the army was “bathing to go to work.” When this newspaper visited Melissa was crying uncontrollably.
James said she learnt that Wallerson, who worked as a labourer with rice farmers in the backdam, had gone to village to check if some other men “were going to work.”
The men responded that they were and he left to go to the neighbouring Bush Lot Village to wait on them. His lunch bag was on his back.
