A 34-year-old Charlestown resident is now dead and several others, including a police constable, are injured after the minibus in which they were travelling toppled along the Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara Public Road on Sunday night.
Dead is Michael Culbert Cozier, also known as ‘Ricky,’ of Lot 3 Evans Street, Charlestown, who was a supervisor at BK Supermix. A search was still underway yesterday for the driver of the bus, who police say fled after the accident.
The injured passengers have been identified as Police Constable #18333 Linden Charles, who is stationed at the Mocha Outpost; Monique Isaacs, 62; Nafeeza Omroo, 24; Devon Benjamin, 23; and Asaneya Thom, 16.
They were all picked up by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where Cozier was pronounced dead on arrival.
Charles, who sustained injuries to his spine, and Benjamin, who suffered a fractured right hand, were treated and transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), where they were admitted. They are both said to be in a serious condition.
Meanwhile, the three others were treated and discharged.
Traffic Chief Linden Isles yesterday confirmed the accident, which occurred around 10.50 pm on Sunday. He said efforts were being made to locate the driver of the Route 42 minibus, BXX 3014, who fled the scene following the accident. Up to yesterday afternoon, he had not yet been apprehended.
Investigations, the police said, revealed that the minibus was proceeding south along the eastern side of the public road at a fast rate of speed when the driver allegedly lost control of the bus, which toppled several times before coming to a halt in a nearby trench.
Cozier’s neck was reportedly pinned by the bus.
Natoya Cozier, the dead man’s wife, told Stabroek News that up to yesterday she was still trying to determine what exactly transpired.
She said she only learnt about the accident yesterday morning, several hours after it occurred, when a friend visited her home and broke the news to her. “I didn’t know about anything,” the weeping woman noted.
Natoya said she immediately went to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where her worst fears were confirmed.
She explained that she last saw Michael on Sun-day evening, when he left home for work. “He was at work earlier in the day and he came home and went back because he say he had something to do,” Natoya recalled.
It is unclear where he was heading at the time of the accident.
Up to yesterday afternoon, his family said they were unable to positively identify Michael’s remains. “They seh is police matter. I can’t identify he till Wednesday. Till Wednesday I gon’ get fah see me husband. We went to the station and ah set ah mix up worries going on at the station so up to now I ain’t geh fah identify the body. We went to the parlour, they seh that how we can’t identify he, [that it] is police matter,” Natoya noted.
Michael was the father of four children.
