The driver of the container truck that crashed into a religious crusade on the Victoria Public Road, ECD on Friday, injuring four persons and damaging nine vehicles appeared at the Vigilance Magis-trate’s Court on Friday where the charges of dangerous driving and refusing to consent to a breathalyzer test were read to him.
Chandrika Ranold, 32, of Lot 3 Onion Field, La Bonne Inten-tion, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was arrested on Wednesday by Lance Corporal Caleb and charged by Sergeant Scott with Dangerous Driving contrary to section 36 (1) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act Chapter 51:02 and for refusal to grant consent to a breathalyzer test contrary to section 39 (e) (5) (a) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act Chapter 51:02.
Ranold, who appeared before Magistrate Fabayo Azore, pleaded not guilty to both charges and was placed on bail in the sum of $75,000 and $25,000, respectively. The matter was adjourned to 23rd May for report and statements. In the meanwhile, Ranold must lodge his passport and report every Wednesday to the Beterverwagting Police Station. According to a police report, Ranold drove motor lorry bearing licence number GTT 8729 with trailer TYY 8731 in a dangerous manner resulting in the lorry crashing into nine parked vehicles before careening into a group of worshippers at an evangelical meeting. Four persons were injured.
Cars, buses and motorbikes were damaged in the accident.
On Wednesday last, Stabroek News reached out to the injured and the owners of the vehicles damaged in the accident who informed this newspaper that the director of Rock Hard Cement, operators of the container truck, had extended to them the offer of compensation. Stabroek News was informed that that information is being compiled.
Carl Gordon, the owner of one of the damaged cars, recounted that about 9 pm he was on the Belfield public road and had slowed to allow the lorry to pass. However instead, it collided with the right side of his car and the impact caused the car to spin and end up at the side of the road, a few feet from where the collision occurred.
According to Gordon, as a result of the accident, both he and his spouse, Ruth Assannah, were injured. He sustained a concussion and bruises to his right shoulder while his wife sustained a puncture to her forehead and bruises about her body. They both were treated at the Wood-lands Hospital in Georgetown and discharged.
Fifty-one-year-old Linden Pilgrim, who owns a bus recalled that about 9:06 pm he was standing in the entrance to the tent when he saw the truck that was heading east on the public road, hit PKK 8790 that had slowed down and as a result of that, one of the truck’s tyres blew out. The driver then lost control of the truck and hit other vehicles. “I started to run but due to the intensity of the impact everything was flying in the air and I got knock out in the process.”
Pilgrim added that he sustained a fracture to his left leg and his bus, BLL 8324, was smashed up. “As a construction worker and farmer, I need my bus to transport my tools and my produce. Also, I can’t work at the moment because of the incident so I’m pleading to be compensated for my loss”, he said.
