A motorcyclist died on Sunday afternoon after he crashed into a utility pole at East La Penitence.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) said Kemston Richards, 26, of Plum Park, Sophia, was reported to have been travelling at a fast rate when the accident occurred at Arapaima Street, East La Penitence.
The report added that after collision Richards fell from the bike, CK 7533, which then careened into two pedestrians, a 15-year-old and 24-year-old Kevin Fletcher, of East La Penitence.
A GPF statement said Richards was proceeding at a fast speed when he lost control of his motorcycle and collided with a pole around 3.30 pm.
In a video from prior to the accident, which was seen by Stabroek News, Richards and another motorcyclist were seen speeding along Mandela Avenue with two police officers chasing behind.
Richards was subsequently picked up in an unconscious state by public-spirited citizens and transported to the George-town Public Hospital (GPH), where he was pronounced dead. The 15-year-old pedestrian was seen and examined by doctors on duty at the hospital and later sent away, while Fletcher did not seek treatment at the hospital.
Several videos of the now deceased man lying on the parapet where the accident occurred went viral. In one video, Richards was seen lifting his head looking at the people that surrounded him before hugging a nearby utility pole. Throughout the video, he made no sound and towards the end he was seen lying still while angry onlookers begged the police at the scene to transport the man to the hospital.
Another video seen by this newspaper showed an ambulance arriving at the scene of the accident with the injured Richards still lying on the parapet.
It is unclear how long it was before Richards was taken to the hospital but according to his sister, Kenisha Fanfair, it was “a while” before her brother was escorted to the GPH. A post-mortem examination that was conducted yesterday revealed that he died due to multiple injuries.
Fanfair said her brother purchased the motorcycle in December and though he hadn’t a licence, he was riding the bike. She noted that police had stopped him previously on several occasions for not having a licence. “Although, he didn’t have a licence, when the police catch he, he does got to pay the police. Up to last week, he went and buy the package to get his licence” the woman said.
Fanfair believes that her brother was chased by the police because it was known that he hadn’t a motorcycle licence.
She added that Richards was targeted and shared that he was recently picked up by the police in connection with a robbery that occurred in the community that he had no part in.
Richards, the woman said, was a security guard and a “weeder man”.
She described him as hardworking and noted that he recently built a shack at Sophia Squatting Area where he lived with his family.
He is survived by two children, ages four and two, along with his pregnant common-law wife.
