An accident at Branch Road, Mahaicony claimed the lives of a farmer and his friend on Saturday night after their vehicle plunged into a trench.
The deceased were identified as Deocharran Dass, 38, of New Providence, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara and Bickram Singh, a 31-year-old of Mortice Branch Road.
A third person, Vishan Motie, a 27-year-old labourer of Mahaicony Branch Road, who was also an occupant of the vehicle managed to escape unhurt.
A statement from the Guyana Police Force said that the accident occurred at around 10.30 on the Mahaicony Branch Road, some 11 km from the main road.
Police investigations so far have disclosed that the driver and occupants were consuming alcohol at a friend’s house. After leaving the location, the driver was proceeding south along the eastern side of the Mahaicony Branch Road at a fast rate. He failed to negotiate a sharp left turn and continued straight into the trench which is situated on the southern side of the road. The width of the trench is approximately 65 feet, and the depth is about 15ft – 20ft, the police said.
The vehicle flipped over and was submerged in the trench. Motie, who was seated in the front passenger seat, managed to exit the vehicle. Unfortunately, the driver and the other occupant were trapped.
The news of the men’s demise rattled the quiet farming community as many expressed shock at the tragedy.
Over at Singh’s home, his uncle, Sohan Persaud said that the men were returning home at the time of the accident. He explained that from his knowledge as a driver and a user of the road, Dass, miscalculated while navigating the turn, hit a pile of dirt on the road and lost control of the vehicle.
This, the uncle said, caused the vehicle to plunge into the trench.
“It is a very deep area the vehicle fell into … He (Motie) managed to jump out the vehicle and went and get help from people… not a lot of people live there but he managed to get help and they help to remove the men out with police,” the uncle related. The man stated that Dass only purchased the vehicle on Saturday and was consuming alcohol throughout the day.
“From what we heard he went home and fell asleep in the vehicle but the lights were on and his daughter went to the vehicle and tried to turn off the light and she started up the vehicle and that woke him up. With that he left and come on the road and pick up my nephew and the other guy and they went for a few more drinks,” the uncle recalled.
Persaud added that when they got to the scene, his nephew who was sitting in the back passenger seat was pinned down in the vehicle and they could not see Dass. It wasn’t until the police removed the vehicle they found Dass floating in the trench.
“We hurry take them out and rushed with them to the hospital but when we got there they were pronounced dead on arrival,” the uncle added.
Dass’s wife Sunita yesterday told Stabroek News that it is still a mystery to her what transpired. She said that in the past whenever her husband drank and fell asleep downstairs he would go to his bed whenever he woke up.
However, that didn’t occur this time.
“I didn’t even know he went out back. He bought the vehicle from a man and came home and he fell asleep in it. I went to check on him and he was sleeping so I left him but I didn’t think he would have gone back on the road,” the woman said.
She said that when she received the call informing her that Dass had been in an accident she was surprised to learn that he had left home.
“When we got there I see him lying on the road he wasn’t moving or breathing. He was doing nothing…there was nothing I could have done,” the woman lamented.
The bodies are presently at the Mahaicony Public Hospital’s mortuary awaiting post-mortem examinations.
