The Police yesterday said that on Tuesday at Mango Landing Crossing in Region #8 a lorry plunged into the river after a reported brakes failure.
The incident involved a Motor Lorry #GXX 530, owned by Roger Hinds of 111 Miles Mahdia and driven by 24-year-old Randolf Downer, and a Pontoon Boat owned by the Mekdeci Company. Delon Maynard, age 25, was the boat’s captain, and a 17-year-old labourer assisted him.
Enquiries disclosed that the lorry was carrying perishable goods. While reversing East to West from the Mango Landing trail onto the Mekdeci Pontoon, the driver alleged that he experienced a ‘brakes failure’ which resulted in him losing control of the lorry, which collided with the left rail of the Pontoon.
The lorry then became partly submerged in the Potaro River. The driver escaped unharmed, and the teen labourer who jumped into the river during the collision was pulled by public-spirited persons from the river in a conscious condition. He was taken to the Mahdia District Hospital for observation, where he was seen by a doctor on duty and later discharged.
The matter was reported to the police yesterday, and further enquiries are in progress.
