Those persons who were left counting their losses due to the damages incurred to their homes and businesses following the fatal accident that claimed the life of 21-year-old pedestrian, Nicholas Khelawon, on Tuesday morning on the public road at Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara, are now demanding to be compensated.
It was reported that persons acting on behalf of the bus driver responsible for the accident had promised to make repairs but up to yesterday no one has turned up.
Wain Wright, the 47-year-old owner of the property at Lot 2 Uitvlugt, said that around 3:13 am he was sleeping when he was awakened by the sound of the collision. When he came out to investigate, he saw that a bus had crashed into his yard. He is demanding to be compensated because he rents the front portion of his property to a boutique owner and now he cannot collect any rent. He said he incurred damage to the front of his house, his fence, and the two sheds that housed the boutique.
“Nobody hasn’t compensated me for the damages caused. The people claiming now that I have to carry the estimate to the station. The owner for the bus came and seh that they are poor people. They destroyed my place. Even the people that rent the front of my home to operate a boutique incurred damages. My fence in front of my yard was destroyed. The two sheds and among other things damaged.”
Wright added that the bus driver responsible for the accident was transporting persons from the Sleepin Casino at the time of the accident. He disclosed that the owners from the Sleepin Casino visited his residence on Tuesday and they had promised to do repairs but up to yesterday they had not showed up. He also said he was told by the police to have an estimate done and submitted to the Leonora police station to get compensation. So far, his contractor has given him a random estimate of $1.3 million.
Tamia Greene of Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara, who helps her mother with her boutique business said that her mother rents the space from Wright and she and her mother are out of business since the accident occurred. She said that on Tuesday, the village had its banquet and on that day, the boutique would make most of its sales, but unfortunately they lost sales since most of their clothes, dressing room, and mannequins were destroyed. She estimated her losses to be about $85,000.
She too is waiting on the owners of the casino to fix up the place and compensate her but as of yesterday no one came by. She said that she will be going higher for her compensation since they have expenses to pay. “We have expenses to pay. I don’t know how long the people associated with the bus will come to fix the situation. They promised they would.”
The next door neighbour, Diane Thompson, a 43-year-old of Lot 2 ‘B’ Uitvlugt Front who was also affected by the collision said that on Tuesday morning she was awakened to find a bus under the steps. She said the relatives of the bus driver visited her residence on Tuesday and promised to conduct repairs. They were supposed to start yesterday but she too is still waiting. She added that the police had told her to submit her estimate to the Leonora Station and compensation will be worked out but the relatives of the bus driver came, and said they will fix up the place. However, she said if she doesn’t hear anything from them she will submit her estimate to the police.
She added that the building belongs to her cousin and her entire wall and part of the fence were damaged. Her electric bike and all her granddaughters’ things were also broken as a result of the accident.
According to the victim’s brother, Roy Khelawon, on the night of his brother’s death, the car driver gave his brother and his friend a lift from the Lenora stadium. His brother asked the driver to put them off at the street before the bridge they were supposed to be dropped off. As the driver of the car was turning around, the speeding bus hit the car, and the car in turn hit his brother and flung him into the neighbour’s yard while the bus ended up in the neighbour’s yard as well.
Reports are that Nicholas was struck by minibus, BZZ 1192, driven by a 29-year-old from Kaikan Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
The police said in a release that Khelawon of Ocean View, Uitvlugt was standing on the parapet at about 3.19 am when he was struck. The driver of the bus is in custody.
