Dozens of Friendship, East Bank Demerara residents yesterday launched a petition for safer travel on their roads and an increased police presence in wake the deadly collision that resulted in five deaths last Tuesday.
The residents also held a vigil for the victims of the accident.
Organiser Denise Murray said that although the community is no stranger to road accidents, what occurred last Tuesday was by far the most “horrendous” one to ever occur there.
The crash occurred around 5:36 am on Tuesday when a speeding police car collided head-on with a car being driven by Leon Tucker. The collision resulted in the deaths of Ronnel Barker, 24, a Presidential Guard who was driving the police car; Tucker, 34, of 2544 Recht-Door-Zee, West Bank Demerara, a father of two and a member of the Guyana Defence Force; Tucker’s aunt, Lovern Stoby, 66, of Third Street, Friendship, who was a traffic officer at the John Fernandes Wharf; Denise King Josiah, 57, a cleaner, and her husband Hubert Josiah, 58, a porter, both of 105 Second Street, Friendship, who were employees of the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.
Trisha Lindon, who was a passenger in Tucker’s car and Presidential Guard Travis Fullington, who was a passenger in the police car and who remains hospitalised, are the only two survivors of the crash.
Surveillance footage of the accident that was posted on Facebook showed that the police car was moving at a fast rate, with its lights flashing at the time. Tucker was proceeding in the opposition direction in the next lane. The footage showed that just before the collision, upon approaching the police vehicle, Tucker applied brakes and slowed down in his lane. However, the two vehicles collided and both vehicles spun around before coming to a halt some distance away from the point of impact. The police car landed in a nearby trench.
The Josiahs, Murray said, were well-known in the area and their deaths were heartbreaking and devastating to the entire community. “They were our families, friends and neighbours that we are mourning for and they meant something to us and we want to remember them,” Murray said as she explained why they decided to hold the vigil. In addition, she said, the residents want to ensure that the friends and relatives of the victims know that the community stands beside and supports them.
Further, Murray said, they have created a ‘Never Again’ petition which will be submitted to the Ministry of the Presidency and addressed to the Ministers of Public Security and Public Infrastructure requesting that they lower the speed limit and build a police outpost between Grove and Timehri. She said that the residents hope that they respond immediately.
“This is urgent. Peoples’ lives are at stake, and this petition is to make sure such a horrific accident like the one that occurred never happen again,” Murray said.
She noted that two Saturdays ago, another resident was involved in crash. The resident, she said, was “knocked-down” by a drunken driver, which is another reason why they want the speed limit to be lowered. Included in the petition are requests for eight miles per hour signs to be erected throughout Friendship, five reflector jagged rubberized strips across the public road, more traffic police in Friendship and electronic speed signs.
‘Recklessness’
Residents, who were already gathered at the “Big Bridge” in Friendship when Stabroek News visited the area, welcome the ‘Never Again’ petition. They said that they hope that if the ministers respond to the petition, it will help decrease the amount of car crashes that occur on the Friendship public road.
Simone Jordan said, “As residents, we are all concerned about some of the ways some of the police operate on the streets.” Jordan said that the recent crash isn’t the first that has occurred in the area. She revealed that one of her relatives was involved in a similar crash, although not deadly. She said usually, policemen would wait until they see vehicles in their path before putting on the siren after which they would expect drivers to immediately pull into the corner. This does not give drivers a chance to find a safe parking spot, she contended.
Jordan said that not long ago and not too far from where they were gathered, a relative of hers was driving a truck when he saw a police car. The occupants of the police car turned on the siren and all the vehicles immediately pulled to the side of the road. With nowhere left to stop, she said, her relative was forced to drive into a nearby trench and when the police vehicle was passing, the policemen started laughing and jeering at him.
Jordan asserted that the police officers should not be behaving that way. Whenever they turn on their sirens, they should give people enough time to find secure spots to park their vehicles because some drivers panic when they hear the sirens, she said. “My family member ended up in the trench and got no pay from his boss but had he stayed on the road is either police or whoever ram into him or he would’ve hit the man in front of him and that is all because of the way that particular police was operating on the road,” she said.
The behaviour of the policemen in that regard, she said, is a very big issue for residents of the community. “People who are beneficial to the community have been lost because of recklessness,” she said, referring to the victims of Tuesday’s accident. Jordan then offered her condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
Meanwhile C. Johnson (name given) said Denise Josiah was a close friend of hers. The tearful woman said that she is still in shock and can’t believe that Denise is dead. She revealed that she helped raised the woman’s last child and they lived peacefully together. Johnson said that she also knew Stoby, who was also very peaceful. “We gotta support the grieving family. I lost my eldest son in a similar way. He would’ve been 38 years and I lost him right on the road and it wasn’t easy,” the emotional woman said.
A relative of Stoby, Denise Benjamin, said Stoby was very kind and cooperative. She said that although Stoby was sometimes moody, she always tried to be kind to everyone. Benjamin and her family are also still in shock at Stoby’s sudden death. Further, she said, the Josiahs and Stoby were all members of the Nazareth Gospel Hall Church, which is located in the community. Like the others, Benjamin thinks that the petition is “a very good idea.” She added that people need to take a stand and bring awareness to the causes of such accidents.
Around 6 pm, dozens of residents, including two officers, took part in the vigil, which was held at the crash site. The vigil ended around 9 pm.
President David Granger has ordered a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to determine the cause of the accident. While travelling from his private residence along the East Bank of Demerara, he stopped at the scene and observed what had transpired.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency on Tuesday, Granger said the “shocking event will be thoroughly investigated,” and noted that within two hours after the accident, he had directed Hoppie to launch an inquiry headed by a person no lower in rank than Deputy Commissioner “to determine how such an accident could have occurred and also to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence.”
