A Mahaica farmer was yesterday killed in an early morning accident when he was struck by a speeding car while riding his bicycle along the Hand-en-Veldt Public Road.
Edmond Smith, 57, of 45 Third Street, Helena No. 2, Mahaica, had been in the company of his son, Orlando Smith, and son-in-law, Everton Wills, when the accident occurred. They were all riding bicycles at the time of the accident and were on their way to water produce at the farm, located a few minutes from the family’s Helena No.2 home.
At the time, Smith was riding behind the other two men.
Police, in a statement released yesterday, said it was reported that Smith was proceeding along the roadway when he allegedly swerved into the path of the vehicle and was struck down. It added that he suffered injuries and was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The driver of the vehicle, police said, was in custody.
Wills told Stabroek News that they were riding in the direction of the family farm and were about halfway to their destination when he heard an impact. Although he admitted that he did not see exactly what occurred as he had been riding in front of Smith at the time, he said the man was dragged about 40 feet from the point of impact.
“After he [the driver] hit the man, he drag the man like about 40 feet and then stop like a next 200 feet because the car was speeding,” Wills recalled.
He said he looked back and saw Smith lying on the road, dropped his bike and ran towards his body. From his observations, he presumes that the man died on the spot.
Wills related that the driver, who had been driving a 212 Carina, assisted in transporting his father-in-law to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The driver was subsequently taken into custody.
Marsha Smith, a daughter of the deceased, related that the driver of the car had stated that he thought he had hit a cow. She expressed shock at this claim as she said it had already been bright when the accident occurred.
Marsha said that her father had broken his neck, spine and hand, and that his ankle was nearly severed from the rest of his body.
When a visit was made to Smith’s home yesterday, a number of family members and friends were gathered at the residence. One of the mourners, stricken with grief, kept expressing shock and disbelief at the passing of his friend.
Smith, known to many as “Bo,” cultivated cash crops, which he sold at the Stabroek and Bourda markets for a living. Once the sole bread winner of his family, he is survived by his wife, Angela Smith and their ten children, three of whom are minors.
