The truck driver who struck down 59-year-old Ramdoolar Dhanraj and killed him on Saturday afternoon remains in police custody and was over the legal limit for alcohol.
Dhanraj, of Pearl Village, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was on his way to meet some of his friends, a customary occurrence every afternoon, when the accident occurred on the main road of Pearl. A police press release yesterday said the driver of the motor vehicle was tested and found to be over the legal limit in relation to the consumption of alcohol. He is in police custody assisting with the investigations.
The accident occurred around 17:15 hrs as the elderly man was riding to meet his friends. His son, Mhuneshwar Dhanraj, told Stabroek News that he was also on the road at the time his father died. He said he noticed the rate the truck was going at and told his friend that the driver would end up in an accident. A few minutes later he saw the truck lose control and veer from one end of the road to another and plunge into the drain. He had no idea that the driver had hit and killed his father on the spot. It was only when he ran to render assistance he saw his dead father lying on the ground in a pool of blood.
When Stabroek News visited the home yesterday, relatives and children of the dead man were preparing for the wake.
Stabroek News understands that the driver of the truck was under the influence of alcohol as he was celebrating his wedding anniversary and was still on duty heading to drop off a load of wood to Tuschen.
Relatives said they also learnt that he told the police at the station that he was not drinking but instead the truck malfunctioned resulting in him hitting Dhanraj.
Dhanraj’s family described him as a very loving, caring and quiet person. He leaves to mourn three children and his wife.
