An illegal race on the West Demerara near Vreed-en-Hoop last night, ended with two vehicles being slammed off the road, one of them flipping into a trench and left at least four persons injured.
Stabroek News understands that two Toyota Tacoma trucks were racing towards Vreed-en-Hoop from the direction of Wales when one of them hit a car, lost control and slammed into another vehicle head on, sending it into a nearby trench.
The road was decorated with glass, metal, and other materials from the vehicles as a crowd gathered and tried to assist the driver of the blue Toyota Avensis, who was pinned in the vehicle in the trench.
“Dem two vehicles were driving fast, fast. You could see that just from distance of the impact of the first car to the second car and even how badly damaged the truck and the second car is. They had to be going over 100 kph. It don’t make any other sense,” an eyewitness told Stabroek News last night. He said that the two trucks were “raging” down the road when the white Toyota Tacoma truck slammed into a white car, lost control and slammed head on to an oncoming car.
The driver of the Avensis who was identified as Mahendra Sugrim was finally removed from the car and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was treated for a broken leg, several broken ribs, and a broken arm. A nine-year-old child who was in the first car that was hit by the truck was also rushed to the hospital with his father who was driving. However, they were treated and sent away.
Stabroek News understands that the driver of the vehicle that lost control had been driving under the influence.
“…You coulda smell it on he and see it on his face,” a relative of Sugrim said. She explained that when the man arrived at the hospital with Sugrim and a girl who was in the truck, his face was bloodied, but he showed no signs of serious injuries. She said according to what they had heard from the police, he was drunk.
A woman who was in one of the vehicles was also rushed to the hospital where she was treated for a broken jaw and other minor injuries.
Police this evening issued the following statement:
Investigations are being conducted into a fatal accident that occurred at about 2030h. last night Wednesday September 16, 2015, on the Schoon Ord Public Road, WBD, and which resulted in the death of Mahendra Sugrim, 23 years, of Goed Fortuin, WBD.
Investigations have revealed that motor pickup PRR 4600 was proceeding along the roadway allegedly at a fast rate, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with motor car PFF 5740 which was proceeding in the opposite direction and also collided with motor vehicle PRR 5229 which was being driven by Mahendra Sugrim.
Mahendra Sugrim received injuries and was taken to the WDRH where he died while receiving medical attention.
The driver of the motor pick was also treated at the WDRH and sent away and is in police custody assisting with the investigations.
