Police on the Essequibo Coast will be seeking advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on how to proceed in the case of Ganga Persaud, the tractor operator who was allegedly involved in an accident at Lima Sands that claimed the life of five-year-old Orissa Williams last Sunday.
This is according to Divisional Commander, Superintendent Khali Pareshram.
Williams, a resident of Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident after a tractor trailer, driven by Persaud allegedly ran over her head, crushing her skull as she attempted to cross the road.
Stabroek News understands that Persaud was heading north along the Lima Sands Access Road, while Williams and a sibling were on the eastern end.
At some point, Williams reportedly made an attempt to cross the road but fell in the path of the on-coming tractor, resulting in one of the rear wheels running over her head.
The grandmother of the dead child, Valerie Benn, told Stabroek News that she was a short distance away from where the accident had occurred but was only informed of what had transpired after her son notified her.
As a result, she said she rushed over and picked up her granddaughter, only to realize she was unconscious and had sustained major head injuries.
Williams was subsequently transported to the Suddie Public Hospital where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
Meanwhile, relatives who spoke with Stabroek News on Thursday voiced concerns over the manner in which the police at the Anna Regina Police Station are handling the matter.
According to the child’s grandmother, the police have not only released Persaud on station bail, but they have also failed to impound the tractor that reportedly killed the child.
Further, Benn said, while eyewitnesses pointed out Persaud as the one responsible for the child’s death, the ranks at the station had taken a motorcyclist into custody.
As a result, an attempt was made to the clear the man of the allegations, however, Benn claims that the attempts were met with unprofessionalism on the part of the police as they opted to chase the relatives out of the station instead of listening to their concerns.
Offering clarity on the situation, Superintendent Pareshram explained that Persaud was released on a substantial amount of station bail while the police seek advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The reason for such, he said, was owing to the fact that the accident occurred on a road that has not yet been gazetted. He added that the tractor and trailer had been fully examined and photographed by the investigating ranks before it was returned to Persaud.
In relation to the motorcyclist being taken into custody, the commander explained he was released from custody after information reaching the police would have identified him as the first responder at the scene of the accident.
