A 33-year-old mechanic is now dead after he crashed into a truck while riding his motorcycle early yesterday morning along the Pearl, East Bank Demerara (EBD) Public Road.
Dead is Devon Atkinson, popularly known as ‘Wild Buck,’ of Lot 31 Railway Line, Kitty, Georgetown.
His pillion rider, who has been identified only as “Kizzy,” sustained minor injuries in the collision.
They were both rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where Atkinson succumbed while receiving medical attention. “Kizzy” was treated and discharged.
This newspaper has learnt that the accident occurred around 12.45 am while they were returning to Georgetown on motorcycle CD 7536 after visiting Soesdyke, EBD.
The driver of the truck, who is a 36-year-old resident of Kuru Kuru, Soesdyke, Linden Highway, was taken into custody.
According to the police, initial investigations revealed that Atkinson and the truck driver were proceeding in the same direction when the accident occurred.
“…The motor lorry with trailer was proceeding north along the western carriageway, and was turning east into a sawmill when the driver (Atkinson) of CD 7536 with pillion rider, who was proceeding in the said direction, allegedly failed to stop and collided with [the] front of the motor lorry,” the police in a press statement said.
At the dead man’s home yesterday, family members were still trying to come to grips with his death
His mother was too inconsolable to comment on the accident.
However, Atkinson’s wife, Lesa Kellman told Stabroek News that she learnt of the accident after she received a call from an unknown female.
“A girl call me saying that how a guy get in an accident with a motor bike and he wanted me to come across to the hospital,” Kellman said.
She added that the woman related to her that she was a passenger of a minibus heading to Timehri when she noticed Atkinson lying on the road and asked the driver to render assistance.
“She seh she saw the person lying on the road and nobody helping him so she was in a minibus heading to Timehri and after they see he lying on the road, she ask the bus driver to turn the back around back and pick him up. So they asked the passengers to step out the bus and she, the conductor and I think the bus driver took him to the hospital,” Kellman explained.
Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Kellman said she was allowed to visit Atkinson. “When I go in and see he (Atkinson), he was like crying out, he back hurting, he can’t breathe properly and within less than couple minutes he just passed away,” Kellman stated.
She said based on what “Kizzy” related to her, the driver of the truck reportedly failed to indicate that he was turning, resulting in the accident.
“She (“Kizzy”) said they was coming down from Timehri and the truck was going into the sawmill… but he didn’t put on he indictor stating that he turning, so by time he (Atkinson) fah pull brakes, when he noticed the truck turning, he collided with the truck,” Kellman said.
Kellman said she last saw Atkinson alive when he left home early on Thursday evening. She said that Atkinson would visit the house from time to time.
Atkinson leaves to mourn four children, the youngest being two months old.
He had a pending matter in court.
In July this year, Atkinson was charged with having in his possession a Bushmaster Carbon 15 AR-15 pistol without being a licensed firearm holder.
The court had heard that Atkinson was at an event at a creek outside of the Splashmins Resort, located on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, when he was observed by a police rank pulling out a firearm from his backpack and discharging several rounds in the air.
Atkinson was also seen placing the firearm back into his backpack. He was later arrested by the police.
