A 55-year-old overseas-based Guyanese died on Sunday, days after he was allegedly struck down while crossing a street in Queens, New York.
Dead is Jaipaul Persaud. Persaud grew up in Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD) but subsequently moved to neighbouring Suriname. In 2001, he travelled to New York.
According to a New York Daily News report, Persaud was allegedly struck down by a 2013 Hyundai Elantra about 1.30pm last Friday while attempting to cross Queens Blvd. at 84th Drive in Briarwood.
As a result of the collision, he was thrown onto to the hood of the vehicle before landing on the pavement.
Persaud sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to the Jamaica Hospital where he succumbed on Sunday.
The report said at the time of the accident, Persaud was on his way to visit his mother, Merlyne Persaud, who resides three blocks from the scene.
The report explained that the 33-year-old female driver was stopped at a red light moments before hitting Persaud, who was in or very close to the crosswalk and had a walk signal.
“When the light turned green she made a left turn off 84th Drive onto Queens Blvd., hitting Persaud,” the report said,
Persaud was the eldest son of his mother. The New York Daily News spoke to Merlyne who related that Persaud, who had a doctor’s appointment decided against taking his car.
“He said to me parking is very hard on Queens Boulevard,” the 71-year-old mother said, according to the report.
“He comes here every day. His truck is still outside. He said, ‘Keep these keys and leave this mail, and I will come back,’” the women added.
A few hours after, the New York Daily News report said that the woman received a call from Persaud’s wife about the accident after which she rushed to the hospital with a neighbour.
“They had to do emergency surgery…….He had bad brain bleeding. The back of the skull was broken. I don’t know how fast this woman was speeding. I couldn’t even recognize his face. There was so much blood, blood in the nose, blood in his ears,” the report quoted Merlyne saying.
The New York Daily News report further explained that the section of the roadway where Persaud was struck down was once known as the “boulevard of death” because of the high number of people killed in accidents along the street.
“The nickname began to fade after the de Blasio administration started redesigning the boulevard with a new bike lane and safer pedestrian crossings,” the report said.
It further added that works on the final leg of the street redesign were halted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Persaud worked as a contractor. One of his brothers died in Guyana in 2015.
“We’re going to miss him so bad,” Persaud wife, Nandranie Persaud, 56, said, according to the report.
