A 48-year-old carpenter succumbed at a city hospital on Saturday morning, hours after he was allegedly struck down by a so far unknown driver while running across Sheriff Street and his family is seeking justice.
Dead is Deonarine Singh, also known as ‘Black Boy’ and ‘Munesh,’ who was a father of three of Lot 45 Garnett Street.
The accident occurred around 10 pm Friday at the junction of Sheriff and Garnett streets, Campbellville, Georgetown.
The police only launched an investigation yesterday.
The police said their enquiries had so far found that Singh was standing on the western side of Sheriff Street, south of Garnett Street, when the accident occurred.
Singh reportedly ran across the road and into the path of a car while the traffic light at the junction was green for vehicles to proceed south along Sheriff Street. He was subsequently picked up by the driver of the car, who was escorted by a Guyana Police Force pick-up, driver and registration number unknown, to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
When contacted, a police source informed Stabroek News that an investigation was launched yesterday by the police. Ranks, including a senior officer, were present at the scene up to yesterday afternoon as they were trying to ascertain the circumstances under which the accident occurred.
The police source also said investigators were trying to ascertain which police vehicle was at the scene and why the ranks did not report the accident.
Meanwhile, the dead man’s son, Vicky Singh, informed Stabroek News that Deonarine was last seen alive outside his home on Friday evening. After he disappeared, relatives assumed he went to visit a family member in Sophia.
However, after time passed and Deonarine did not return home, they began to search for him. Searches at other relatives, the Georgetown Public Hospital, and police stations did not yield any results. It was not until Monday, when relatives decided to approach a nearby business and requested to review their CCTV footage, that they learnt Deonarine was the victim of an accident.
“So we watching the footage, watching the footage…..we see he stand up out hay [in front his yard], then he walk and go by the light [traffic light at Sheriff Street]. Then he cross the road, he stand up pun the corner but he didn’t cross to go ova and then he come back to the gate. When he come back to the gate, he lime lil, he stand up lil, then he go back and he stand up like fah cross the road [Sheriff Street]…,” Vicky said.
He noted that based on what he saw in the footage, Deonarine was struck down by a silver Toyota Premio while attempting to cross the road. “I saw the car but I didn’t see the number plate. I see they open the trunk also but I didn’t know if they go fah put he in the trunk or what transpire deh, “Vicky added.
He said a police vehicle was also seen pulling up behind the car which struck Deonarine a short while after the accident. “Them ain’t put he in the trunk after the van pull up, they put him in the car. Yuh seeing the hazard [light] pun the car and the police van,” Vicky said.
He said the footage also showed that both vehicles remained at the scene for a while before they departed.
After they saw the footage, relatives returned to the GPH on Monday and a receptionist there reportedly confirmed that there was an unidentified accident victim of Indian descent. Arrangements were later made to have them identify Deonarine’s remains at the mortuary.
Vicky said he positively identified the remains as those of his father. He added that he was then told that Deonarine arrived at the hospital on Friday evening and died around 2 am on Saturday. “…But them ain’t tek down no details at the hospital deh to find out who bring he deh. Them ain’t write down no name, they just put he down deh and lef he,” Vicky said.
The accident was reported to the Kitty Police Station on Monday by relatives.
Natasha Singh, Deonarine’s wife, yesterday voiced concerns about the manner in which the matter was dealt with while calling for justice.
“…Why the police did not hold the driver with the car? The police vehicle was behind the car—why they didn’t lock the vehicle up? He supposed to because they supposed to know whether if the man die or if the man is in the hospital there, so I don’t know what play out there. We want justice. We got to know what happen here with the police vehicle. No police vehicle would leave a station and go on a patrol and they didn’t book out where they going,” Natasha said.
She lamented that it was she and her family that ended up doing the investigation to determine what transpired.
“Nobody called us, nobody said anything and this happened Friday night… Monday afternoon when the family go back and get the footage, then we know he get accident. So, we do the police wuk,”
