Travis Wickham, 28, a welder, died Friday morning after he was involved in an accident with two other vehicles on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) public road.
A police release stated that Wickham of Lot 291 Bachelor’s Adventure, ECD, was travelling on the northern lane in a easterly direction on his motorcycle when he collided, first with a motor van owned and driven by Anne Bristol, 49, of Hope Low Land, ECD and then, a mini-bus driven by Balwant Persaud, 41, of Supply, Mahaica, ECD. The vehicles driven by Bristol and Persaud were on the southern lane and proceeding in a westerly direction.
The accident occurred in the vicinity of Foulis, when, according to the police report, Wickham lost control of his motorcycle and collided with the van and then the bus. As a result of the collision, Wickham fell onto the road and suffered injuries to his head and about his body, the police disclosed. Wickham was picked up unconscious and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival by a doctor on duty.
The deceased man’s father, Ivor Payne of Haslington, ECD., told this newspaper that he rushed to the scene after a relative called him and informed him of the tragedy. Upon arriving, he said he saw one of his son’s boots on the road and “a set of blood”.
“I hear a guy saying, `See they gone with he there, he done dead already.’”
Payne said that at the Georgetown Public Hospital, he and one of his daughters identified the body. The man said that given the extent of the injuries seen he believes his son died on the spot.
When Stabroek News spoke with Payne, who was at Wickham’s home, this newspaper was told that the man lived there with his siblings and he was a welder. Payne explained that he has five children and Wickham was the only son among the five. Wickham’s sisters and cousin, who were home at the time, said that he was a nice person, while Payne described him to be quiet and church-going. They said that Wickham’s mother, who resides in Suriname, did not take the news well.
His body is currently at the Georgetown Public Hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination. Meanwhile, both drivers are in custody assisting with investigations, police say.
