By Roger Wong
After hitting a primary school child with his speeding motorcycle in Sophia on Saturday, the rider, who fled the scene and later escaped from police, was nabbed and handed over to the lawmen yesterday.
Afya Harte was standing at the corner of a street in ‘A’ Field, Sophia on Saturday at about 5:15pm when the scrambler bike came rumbling through the narrow street, swerved and hit the child, her mother Chineza Harte told Stabroek News yesterday. Afya’s cousin Shania who was with her at the time, related that after her cousin was hit, she flicked over before toppling on the road. The child related that a young lady who was close by, called out to the motorcyclist asking him if he didn’t see that he had just hit a child.
Shania recalled that the man came off his motorcycle, observed the badly injured Afya and fled, pushing the bike.
Harte recalled that she was inside the house and heard the cries of her niece calling for her. She said that she ran out and met her only child covered in blood and her entire body was bruised. The mother said that after she observed her daughter’s condition, she became weak and felt lifeless. “A couldn’t even lift meh data, a feel like all meh strength gone, she just curl up and I just feel me belly turning up inside me,” Harte said.
A rural constable observed the motorcyclist attempting to flee and tried to apprehend the man but since he is not able-bodied, only managed to secure the motorcycle’s key.
Faye Harte, the child’s grandmother said that the police came afterwards and despite her plea to go with the officers to the motorcyclist’s residence to help identify him, they refused. She related that the man was attempting to hide the bike in a villager’s yard but he was chased out. The woman revealed that yesterday morning, three police officers went to the man’s home and after they called out, two men looked out and pulled back in and it took the police about five minutes before they managed to open the gate.
By that time, the man had fled. Again the police made no attempt to catch the man or seek back up, the grandmother lamented.
At the Hartes’ home yesterday, the motorcyclist’s mother showed up with the intention of having the matter settled since she noted that her son is unlicensed to ride the bike.
However, Afya’s relatives demanded that the motorcyclist be part of the discussion. He subsequently came but an argument erupted and villagers supported Chineza’s contention that he was speeding and the accident resulted from his reckless riding through the narrow street.
“I is a mad man fuh see a child and run into she eh…de child run in front de bike after she hear it coming…is years I riding and I neva knock down nobody,” the motorcyclist argued.
The loud quarrel attracted the constable who had previously failed to apprehend the motorcyclist but this time, with the support of villagers, he handcuffed the motorcyclist and detained him in a yard. He was subsequently taken to the police station.
Yesterday, the injured child underwent surgery for some of the injuries and remains in a stable condition at the Georgetown Hospital. She sustained two fractures to a leg and one of her arms is also fractured. Afya will be celebrating her 6th birthday tomorrow. She only had a cast removed from her hand last week from a previous accident.
Her mother is grateful to the taxi driver who transported them to the hospital free of charge.
