An octogenarian was fatally struck down on the Melaine Damishana Public Road yesterday morning, between 5.30 and 6.00 am, as she was crossing the road to board a minibus.
The woman has been identified as Lydia Rodrigues, 87, of 51 North Melaine Damishana, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Police in a statement yesterday said, Rodrigues was “standing on the northern side of the road. As the minibus BKK6714 approached, [Rodrigues] began to cross the road from north to south and ended up on the southern driving lane and the Mini Bus collided with her.”
Police said the driver of the minibus has been taken into custody and is assisting with investigations.
Courtney Canzius, one of Rodrigues’ sons recounted that his mother left home to attend church in the city and was in the process of crossing the road to enter a bus which had stopped for her.
“A neighbour go out with her on the road and flagged down a bus. As she was crossing the road, this other bus came with a speed and hit mommy down,” Rodrigues’ son said, while explaining that she was a few steps away from the bus that had stopped for her.
Police said after the woman was struck down, she fell on to the road surface and sustained injuries to her head.
Rodrigues, a mother of four, was picked up in an unconsciousness state by public spirited citizens and placed into a pickup belonging to the Police. She was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival, the statement adds.
The son indicated that the family was informed of the accident minutes after his mother left home. “When we got to the scene there was a large crowd and she was lying on the road,” he recalled.
However, the son is of the opinion that his mother died on the spot. He noted that his mother had landed approximately 20 feet away from the point of impact.
The family believes that the minibus was traversing at a fast rate when it collided with Rodrigues.
“Mommy is not them frail old people. She is an abled body woman, she does walk from here [Melaine Damishana] to Buxton and do most things around the house. So the driver can’t say she was walking slow… we believe he was speeding…” another son stated.
Further, the family alleged that the driver, of Supply, Mahaica, ECD, was attempting to flee the scene, but residents of the area who were at the scene of the accident, held on to him and handed him over to the police.
