Two drivers were yesterday charged with causing the death of Roxanne Mitchell, the woman who was killed early on Thurs-day morning after their minibuses collided near the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DBH).
Jamal McLeod, 50, and Michael Thorne, 26, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown and were read separate charges that on May 26th, at Bagotstown Public Road, they caused the death of Mitchell.
The charge stated that McLeod drove minibus BPP 6158 and Thorne minibus BPP 1670 in a manner that was dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of Mitchell.
Neither McLeod nor Thorne was required to plea to the indictable charge.
At the time of the accident, Mitchell was travelling in a Route 32 bus to return to her Farm, East Bank Essequibo home, after witnessing the flag-raising ceremony in Georgetown that was staged to mark Guyana’s 50th independence anniversary.
The prosecution told the court that McLeod was driving his minibus, in which Mitchell was a passenger, along the eastern carriageway of the East Bank public road and was going south towards the DHB while Thorne was travelling from the opposite direction. The court was told that neither observed the stoplight that was flashing amber, resulting in the collision.
Attorney Bernard DaSilva appeared on behalf of McLeod, whom he noted is his neighbour.
DaSilva told the court that the vehicle of his client, who has been a driver for 15 years, was hit from behind during the accident.
He sought bail, while noting that McLeod suffers from hypertension and diabetes.
Attorney Mark Conway appeared on behalf of Thorne and told the court that his client was unable to move around due to the injuries he suffered in the accident. He noted too that the man is due to undergo a CT scan.
Conway also sought bail, which he requested be reasonable since Thorne has no solid financial means.
The prosecution made no objection to bail for either of the defendants.
Bail was eventually set at $250,000 for each man and the matter was transferred to Magistrate Judy Latchman for a hearing on June 13th.
Roxanne Mitchell, 44, was with her husband, Peter Mitchell, 50, in the bus when the collision. “All I remembered seeing is a Route 42 minibus coming with a speed and I said, ‘Oh God, this is an accident’! And I held onto my seat,” Peter had told this newspaper.
Roxanne, his wife of 22 years, was seated next to him at the window side seat and the top half of her body was flung out. The bus ended up flipping on its side on impact and Mitchell was pinned underneath, he noted.
After being removed, she was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Her husband and other passengers suffered minor injuries and were also treated at the Diamond Centre.
