What started as a celebration ended in sorrow as a student of President’s College and her father were among four people killed in a collision on the public road at De-Hoop, Mahaica on Saturday evening.
Dead are Kellon Jones, Jason Rudder, Jamella Rudder and Chris Gonsalves.
Jason Rudder’s wife Shondel Niles told Stabroek News on Sunday that Jamella was the top performer at Leeds Primary School at the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and gained a place at President’s College.
Jason was employed by Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) as a security officer and as a result she was awarded for her performance at a bursary award ceremony held by the oil company. Jason and his daughter were on their way home from the ceremony when the collision occurred.
Niles said Jason played an important role in his daughter’s life since they shared a very close relationship. He was described as a friendly person while his daughter was described as jovial.
The saddened wife added that she was married to Jason for three years and they have a two-year-old son. She explained that the deaths of her husband and his daughter have left her in a state of shock and tears.
GuyOil extended condolences to the Rudder family and explained how happy they were to celebrate Jamella’s entry to President’s College. According to the message posted on the company’s Facebook page, they were proud of her recent achievements, including her performance at the NGSA.
Dexter Jones, the brother of Kellon Jones, told Stabroek News that his brother was a Berbice taxi driver and at the time of his death, he was heading home. Kellon was the father of one and was described as a loving person. Dexter explained that the family was traumatized since the incident occurred. He added that he was at his barber shop when he received a phone call about the crash and upon arrival at the hospital he was asked to identify his brother’s body and informed about his passing.
Police said the collision occurred at around 18:35 hrs on Saturday on the public road at De Hoop, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara and involved a motor car (PMM 7104), driven by Kellon Jones, 33, of Lot 657 Fort Ordnance, East Canje Berbice; and motor car (PPP 4090), owned and driven by Chris Gonsalves, 26, of Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara.
There were four occupants in motor car PMM 7104: Shelly Harry, a 50-year-old woman of Lot 491 Fort Ordnance; Vikram Ramjawan, a 21-year-old of Lot 4 Betsy Ground, East Canje; Jason Rudder, 37, of Lot 8 Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Berbice, and his 11-year-old daughter Jamela Rudder.
The police said enquiries disclosed that PMM 7104 was proceeding east along the northern side of De Hoop public road, and PPP 4090 was proceeding west along the southern side of the road at a fast rate when the driver overtook a car proceeding in the same direction and ended up directly in the path of PMM 7104.
This resulted in a head-on crash. Both drivers, along with the occupants, sustained injuries and were taken out of the two vehicles by public-spirited citizens and conveyed to Mahaicony Public Hospital, where Kellon Jones, Jason Rudder, Jamela Rudder and Chris Gonsalves were seen and examined by a doctor on duty who pronounced them dead on arrival.
Ramjawan was treated and sent away. Harry was treated, and later transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital, suffering from a fractured right leg.
The bodies of the deceased are at the Bailey’s Funeral Home awaiting post-mortem examinations.
