A truck driver escaped unharmed after ploughing through a number of obstacles, including a billboard, along the East Bank Demerara Public Road yesterday afternoon.
The accident occurred at around 5 pm, when the Canter truck, belonging to Neal and Massy Services Limited, hit a car while speeding, according to a witness. The truck then careened onto the triangular grass patch at the Houston junction, tearing down a large GuyExpo billboard in its path before over-riding the metal rails along the edges of the road and then ramming into a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) utility pole, effectively collapsing it. The truck then came to rest in a gutter.
The truck was smashed in at the front and the windshield was shattered after the accident.
The driver, according to the main witness, was not seriously injured and he exited the vehicle along with another occupant without assistance. Police arrived at the scene within 10 minutes, while Neal and Massy and power company representatives arrived soon after.
Traffic soon built up as road users were prevented from using the section of the public road where the electrical wires had collapsed.
The truck was removed at approximately 6.30 pm with assistance from Neal and Massy and individuals present.
The damaged billboard, which was a traffic hindrance, also required many hands to be removed from its displaced location. GPL said that consumers would have been temporarily affected due to the collapsed pole but resolved the situation within minutes.
Eyewitness Robert Foster was driving his car when he noticed the truck speeding behind him. This, he said, prompted him to take caution and reduce his speed while driving as close as he could to the side of the road. Despite his efforts, he was still struck by the truck, which then careened into the public property.
Foster said that he exited his car when the dust had settled and saw the driver and his companion exit the vehicle. He recalled the driver saying, “I alright, I alright” as he staggered about. The driver was later taken into custody at the Ruimveldt Police Station.
A Neal and Massy representatives said it was the eighth accident for the entire group of companies and the first for the Bermudez brand for the financial year, which will conclude this month.
