A Sophia resident died on Friday afternoon and his cousin was injured after the car they were travelling in swerved from a motorcycle and landed in the canal at Dennis Street, Sophia.
The dead man has been identified as Orin Caines called “Mug”, 38, of Lot 124 ‘A’ Field, Sophia. Caines succumbed to his injuries shortly after he was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
His cousin, Dereck Wilson, 49, of Alberttown, Georgetown sustained injuries to his head and was admitted as a patient at the said hospital. Up to yesterday afternoon his condition was listed as stable.
The accident occurred around 5 pm on Friday.
At the time of the accident, the car, PNN 6527 was being driven by Wilson.
Reports revealed that Wilson who was proceeding east along Dennis Street, Sophia swerved from a motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction. A tyre on his car then blew out and he lost control as it plunged into a nearby canal.
Residents in the area rushed to render assistance and a video of the rescue went viral on Facebook.
In the short video seen by this newspaper, residents were seen plunging into the canal to rescue the men from the car. They were both pulled out unconscious from the submerged vehicle.
Traffic Chief Dion Moore informed this newspaper that an investigation has been launched in the accident.
Rita Caines, mother of the dead man, said she had just returned home from work when her son’s friend visited and informed her of the accident. She said she immediately rushed to the hospital where she received the news of her son’s death.
The grieving mother said that based on information she received, Orin had left with Dereck early Friday afternoon to visit the mother of his child in Kitty and they were returning when tragedy struck.
Orin leaves to mourn his mother and daughter. His body is currently at the GPH mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.
