A man died last night after he was struck down by a minibus in front of a bar on d’Urban Street, in Georgetown.
The man, identified only as ‘Romel,’ of Plum Park, Sophia, had been drinking at the Pavement View bar along with a female friend just before the accident, which occurred around 9:45 PM.
Stabroek News understands that the man, who was an employee of Pritipaul Singh Investment, had just departed the premises and was making his way over the road when he was struck down by a Route 41 minibus BTT 3835, which was heading east along d’Urban Street at a fast rate.
An eyewitness, who asked not to be named, recounted that he was standing obliquely opposite the bar with a group of his friends when he saw Romel leaving to cross the road. The man added that as Romel was almost over the road, the minibus struck him and pitched him some distance away.
“The bus was speeding and the driver wrong because I see everything and that man was already over the road when he hit him,” said the eyewitness.
However, the bus driver told this newspaper that it was Romel, who was at the time on his cellphone, who dashed in front of the vehicle and caused the accident.
Romel reportedly sustained head injuries and was bleeding profusely when he was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) by the driver of the minibus. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
When this newspaper visited the scene last night, blood stains were still visible on the road with broken bottles, among other items.
A friend of the dead man recalled that just minutes before Romel’s demise he spoke with him and informed that he was leaving for home. The man recalled that it was just a few seconds after the conversation that he heard a loud impact coming from the road and as he rushed to see what was transpiring he saw his friend lying on the roadway bleeding.
Up to late last night, police officials were trying to make contact with the man’s relatives.
The bus driver was at the hospital waiting to be escorted to a police station.
