A teenaged motorcyclist died while his pillion rider is in hospital after an accident on the island of Wakenaam on Tuesday night.
Dead is 16-year-old Ameer Khan of Belle Plaine, Wakenaam, Essequibo River. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Vickash Singh of Hubu, East Bank Essequibo, is currently at the Wakenaam Regional Hospital nursing a broken arm and head injuries.
The accident occurred at about 21.45 hours on the Friendship Public road in Wakenaam, and involved a tractor, TM 17151, and trailer, TMM 509, and the motorcycle. The tractor was being driven by a 63-year-old man of Free and Easy, Wakenaam while the motorcycle was ridden by Khan with Singh as pillion rider.
According to a Guyana Police Force release, the tractor with the trailer attached was being driven north on the western side of Friendship Public Road, while the motorcycle was proceeding south along the eastern side of the road in the opposite direction, allegedly at a fast rate when the teen lost control causing the front portion of the motorcycle to collide with the right-side rear wheel of the trailer.
As a result of the collision, Khan and Singh fell into a nearby trench on the northern side of the road.
The motorcyclist and pillion rider were both picked up by public-spirited persons and rushed to the Wakenaam Public Hospital where they were initially treated.
Khan was subsequently transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is presently at Ezekiel Funeral Parlour awaiting an autopsy.
The father of the deceased, Mohamed Kamal Khan, said that he and his wife Reshma Persaud are still trying to come to grips with everything that has happened. “Why did this happen to my big son, he was just 16 he had his entire life ahead, I don’t know how we can live without he,” the father lamented.
The elder Khan disclosed that his son would usually spend time with his grandmother who is currently on vacation. He said that Vikash is a friend he had met recently and they became close. The last time he saw his son was at 17.30 hours that Tuesday and he had played a game of cricket with him.
He received the news about his son’s accident around 19:30 hours.
“I went and I saw the motorcycle in a nearby trench. We tried to pull him out and rush to the hospital. There they delayed ‘cause my son had to get a referral and they had to make some calls, the delay was real,” the father recalled.
He related that he then took a boat and transferred his son to Parika, however on the way he noticed he did not get any pulse rate. He said his son died on the way.
“He died on the way but you know the doctor had to pronounce him dead, but I can’t believe everything happened so fast”, he said.
After the autopsy, the body will be transported back to the island for burial. The driver of the tractor is currently in police custody assisting with the investigation. The father described his son as a loving individual who always listened to his parents.
