The Hughes family is in mourning after the tragic death of matriarch Christobel Hughes following a traffic accident on Saturday night.
Hughes was on her way home from a family function at approximately 22:30hrs when a drunk driver crashed into the Nissan XTrail her son, Stuart Hughes was driving which caused the vehicle to roll near Pike and Lamaha streets, Kitty.
Christobel Hughes was taken to the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital and was treated for broken ribs and was being checked for internal injuries. She was said to be alert at the time she arrived.
It was only after she was admitted and she was receiving additional attention in the Intensive Care Unit that she succumbed to her injuries. Stuart Hughes was not injured in the accident.
Stabroek News understands that the driver was taken into police custody and was found to be three times over the legal limit for alcohol.
Her son, Alliance for Change Chairman Nigel Hughes spoke with Stabroek News yesterday reflecting on the legacy left behind by his mother and her passion for the sustaining of the arts in Guyana.
Hughes said that his mother, 85 years, a historian by profession decided to stay at home after her children were born but became very active in the community thereafter.
He recalled that his mother broke many barriers being the first black woman to sit as a chairperson and director for a variety of agencies.
He told Stabroek News that she enjoyed her work as a Director of the Guyana Heritage Society as well as her time with the Guyana Red Cross Society and the National Trust of Guyana in which she was still heavily involved.
He stated also that she worked alongside Women Reaching Out to provide scholarships for underprivileged girls pursuing a higher education.
She was predeceased by her husband Clarence Hughes SC.
