An East Canje teen is dead and another is injured after they crashed into a cow while riding along the Number 19 Village Public Road.
Romain Behari, 18, of Lot 679 Fort Ordnance Housing Scheme was towing his cousin, Budhram Rampertab, 17, also of Fort Ordnance, on his motorcycle when they ran into the cow on Thursday evening.
Behari was towing his cousin home from work when the accident occurred along the dark road.
Behari worked at the Nand Persaud International Communicat-ions Inc’s call centre at Tain, Corentyne, Berbice, as an Information Technology Technician and would usually ride to and from work.
Stabroek News was told that collision sent both teens flying off the motorcycle. They were subsequently picked up and rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where Behari was pronounced dead on arrival and Rampertab was admitted.
An autopsy conducted yesterday gave Behari’s cause of death as shock and haemorrhage and a ruptured heart.
At Behari’s home, his grieving mother, Kaminie Harold, said that after being informed of the accident, she and other family members went to the New Amsterdam Hospital.
“They were both in the emergency room and the nurses told me I cannot go in and see my son. When I asked why they told me I would scream and make noise but I beg them [the nurses] and told them if my son hears my voice he might wake up. I went in the room and called on his name and rub and touch him but he didn’t wake up,” Harold recounted.
Harold noted that the only visible injury she saw on her son’s body was a minor wound along his abdomen.
Rampertab, who had regained consciousness, was admitted for observation but was discharged late yesterday afternoon.
Number 19 Village is a farming community and there is usually a large number of animals on the road during the day and at night. The public road is the darkest patch along the Corentyne highway and many calls were made to the previous government by drivers, residents, the business community and others to install road lights but nothing was done.
A high number of accidents occur on the road at nights and many are due to the poor lighting.
Behari, a graduate of the Republic Bank Apprenticeship Programme and a former student of the New Amsterdam Multilateral School, is survived by his parents and two siblings. He is to be laid to rest on Tuesday.
