A Mahaicony man is now dead and two other persons are hospitalised after the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck at Drill Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD), yesterday.
Dead is Torrick McLennon, 25, of Zeskenderen, Mahaicony, and who, an eyewitness said, might have fallen asleep at the wheel of his car.
One of his three passengers, Elias Ross, 25, of Lot 118 Zeskenderen, has been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), in a critical condition. Also hospitalised at the GPH is Hollin Roberts, 22, of lot 7 Farm Mahai-cony, while the other passenger, Calvin McLennon, 21, of Farm, Mahaicony, was treated and sent away. Meanwhile, the driver of the truck remains in police custody assisting with the investigation.
An eyewitness told Stabroek News that at approximately 5.30 am, he heard loud horns, followed by a crashing sound three seconds later. When he went out, Singh (only name given) saw one of the occupants of the car sprawled on the road. Another man emerged from the badly damaged car, holding his chest and crying out for pains, a few seconds later. “I run to he and put he to sit down,” Singh explained. He then rushed to the car and saw the unresponsive driver, whom he immediately recognized as Torrick McLennon and another man in the seat behind the driver, who was badly injured.
In a press release, the police said investigations revealed that Torrick McLennon was driving the car, allegedly at a fast rate, when he lost control of it and collided with a motor lorry, which was travelling in the opposite direction. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Mahaicony Cot-tage Hospital, where Calvin McLennon was treated and sent away, while Hollin Roberts and Elias Ross were later referred to the GPH.
Devon McGregor, a brother of Roberts, told this newspaper that he last saw the four men about one and half hours before the accident. He said they had visited his Albouystown home around 2 am yesterday and remained until 4 am. “I tell them go home because this area ain’t no place to lime,” McGregor recalled. He further mentioned that Roberts sustained head injuries and a punctured left lung. McGregor said his brother is unable to breathe on his own.
When asked whether Torrick McLennon was drinking while at Albouystown, he said everyone else had a few drinks, save for Torrick.
Meanwhile, Singh said the timber loaded truck, with licence plate number GGG 1155, was heading west and the car with licence plate number PRR 8224 was heading east. The emotional man, who knew Torrick McLennon from seeing him around Mahaicony, said the young man was friendly and would always say hello to him, even though they were not really acquainted.
Judging from the fact that the car windows were up and the air conditioner was still running when he approached the car after the crash, Singh surmised that Torrick McLennon could possibly have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Singh said he had summoned the fire service and it took them about an hour to unpin Torrick McLennon.
Meanwhile, the dead man’s foster-father Lenton Dennis said he had left home the evening before the accident for Plaisance, where he and his friends, who recently travelled from the interior, went to celebrate a birthday.
When word got around the village about the accident, many who knew those involved, congregated at the scene to get a glimpse.
Friends of Torrick McLennon described him as outgoing and athletic.
