Six persons lost their lives after a three-vehicle smash-up along the Ross Village, West Coast Berbice Public Road during the wee hours of yesterday morning.
Dead are Lindon McFarlane, 23, of Lot 102 Number 22 Belair, West Coast Berbice; Jamal Lynch, 22, of Number 22 Belair West Coast Berbice; Jashaun Saul, 19, of Number 22 Village, West Coast Berbice; Gary Blair, 44, of Lot 661 Section D Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara; Keanna Dow, 22, of Lot 329 Number 29 Village, West Coast Ber-ice; and Joel Jacobs, 29, of Lot 661 Section D Tur-keyen, Georgetown.
Three other persons, Akeem Solomon, 30, of Lot 30 Number 4 Village, West Coast Berbice, Brian Goodridge, 29, of Lot 39 Public Road East Coast Demerara and Fiona Massiah, 20, of Number 28 Village, West Coast Berbice, were injured and hospitalised as a result of the accident.
According to information gathered, McFarlane was the driver of a car, PNN 3536, while Blair, an electrician, drove another car, PYY 4293, and Solomon was the driver of the third car, PWW 208, when the accident occurred.
Sunday Stabroek was told that Blair and Solomon were speeding west along the southern side of the road, while McFarlane was proceeding east, also at a fast rate, when the fatal collision occurred.
McFarlane’s car, in which Lynch and Saul were passengers, burst into flames after the collision, while Blair’s vehicle toppled several times before it came to a halt.
In Blair’s car, Jacobs, Goodridge, and Dow were the passengers, while Solomon had a lone occupant, Massiah.
At Lynch’s house yesterday morning, his sister, Timika Williams, 29, told Sunday Stabroek that McFarlane and Jacobs came earlier in the day looking for her brother, a construction worker, who would have celebrated his 22nd birthday yesterday. He had already left home on his bicycle. “Them say they would find him on the road and they left, that was it,” she noted.
According to Williams, around 2 am yesterday morning she heard someone entering the yard. “I say he come and put the bicycle and like the car did waiting him on the road and then they left.”
Shortly after the woman was informed that her brother and his friends were involved in an accident which left them dead.
She was told, that the three were together at a Bar-B-Que in Number 22 Village, but after Lynch dropped his bicycle home they were then heading to another party at Lichfield Village, West Coast Berbice, when the accident occurred.
She related that the trio grew up together and would spend all their spare time together. “They went school and since then they are friends, and they like go out together and what I admire about them is that they like drink and enjoy but my brother don’t smoke,” she added.
The three were picked up and rushed to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.
‘Packed on each other’
According to Saul’s sister-in-law, Tiffany Saul, who identified his body, the three friends arrived at the hospital “packed on each other.”
She recalled, that her brother in law seemed to have suffered major head injuries and broken legs, among other injuries.
Stabroek News was told, that McFarlane was caught in the explosion, while Lynch and Saul’s bodies were pitched outside of the vehicle.
Saul’s mother, Marva Saul, 57, said, that she was first informed that Lynch was involved in an accident but she knew immediately that her son had to be involved too since the boys were inseparable. Her worst fears were confirmed when Tiffany phoned home to say she had identified the young man’s body.
A friend of the three deceased, Carlon Senene, 21, a construction worker, was still in a state of shock yesterday as he was also at the Bar B Que but decided to head home while the deceased were preparing to head to the Litchfield party. He said, “I don’t know how to feel now because I was going with them but I feel lil high and I say I got to work next day so I going home and one of them even ask me why I going, let me stay and I say no me got to go climb height at work next day and I left and go home.”
Yesterday morning, he added, that while he was grateful for life he was saddened that his childhood friends died in such a way.
Meanwhile, Jacobs’s sisters noted, that he and Dow were extremely close friends and would often party together, while Jacobs was known to Blair and Goodridge.
One of Jacobs’s friends, who was at the Lichfield party, said, the four left that party and were heading to the Bar-B-Que when shortly after they received information that they were involved in an accident. The four were picked up and rushed to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital, where the three were pronounced dead on arrival, while Goodridge was transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.
As of yesterday afternoon, Goodridge had been transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Jacobs’ father, Vincent Jacobs, noted, that his son was living and working in Georgetown and that he was unaware that he was in the area. He said it was only until 04.30 hrs when he received the phone call that he became aware that his son was in the area and was involved in an accident.
Solomon and Massiah were rushed to the Mahaicony Public Hospital. However, as of yesterday both were transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital as well.
Solomon reportedly sustained major head injuries, while Massiah suffered a fractured leg, among other injuries.
Meanwhile, Commander of Region Five, Kurleigh Simon, yesterday told this publication that the police were still working to ascertain the facts. He pointed out that both Blair’s and Solomon’s cars, which were heading in the same direction, were hit in the front.
However, he added, “The cause of the accident from all indication seems to be speeding, and as to who collided into who, we are uncertain at this time.”
Lawmen in the region yesterday quickly removed the vehicles and debris from the roadways so as to allow a free flow of traffic. Simon added that they will now further look at ways in which they can avoid such accidents.
