-has had six surgeries, family needs assistance
By Tafari Cadogan
Destiny Solomon, 15, of Kaneville/Grove Second Field, East Bank Demerara (EBD), who was crushed by a truck on November 6, 2024, on the Grove Public Road, EBD, has undergone six surgeries and there is no assurance that she will ever walk again.
Solomon’s grandmother, Beverly Boston, recalled the day of the incident. She received a phone call at work around 9:45 am, detailing what had transpired. Upon hearing the news she rushed to the Jimbo Bridge at Grove Public Road where the incident happened, and when she got there she saw her granddaughter lying on a piece of cardboard on the ground. Boston said she fainted upon seeing her granddaughter and remembered waking up in the ambulance alongside her granddaughter on the way to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Destiny’s mother, Shemine Solomon, stated that later that same day at 6:00pm, she and her mother saw a news outlet on Facebook publishing posts saying that her daughter Destiny had already undergone surgery and was in stable condition when that wasn’t the case. Boston said that since the incident the only thing the police did was give them the name and number of the truck driver, and promised that after her granddaughter was out of the hospital and healthier, they’d look into the matter further. Boston said she made multiple attempts to follow up on the matter and was told by the sergeant of Grove Police Station that her granddaughter was in the wrong and that the details of the matter were sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
When asked if they received any assistance from the government, Shemine stated that no one reached out to them, adding that she went to Freedom House on Robb Street in hopes of speaking to someone for assistance but said that no one listened to what she had to say. Shemine said that she’s a single mother of six and all of her daughter’s medical expenses are dealt with by her. Boston chimed in that her granddaughter has to make frequent visits to the clinic which cost them $10,000 each time. She said that every time she attempts to contact the driver who was involved in the accident, she never gets a proper response from him.
Boston stressed that all she wants is justice for her granddaughter.
She related that according to her granddaughter’s account of the incident, the driver of the truck flashed his hazard lights at her granddaughter prompting her to cross the road but as she was crossing a car was coming along the road which caused her to stop right in front of the truck which proceeded to drive over her.
Boston highlighted the fact that her granddaughter’s education is lagging due to not being able to attend school. “Destiny always begging me to take her to school but I can’t take her there in the condition she’s in.” Meanwhile Shemine stated that they would be happy to get some assistance from the government adding that her daughter has to undergo more surgeries and clinic visits.
In a release on November 6, 2024, the police stated that the driver had been arrested. It said that the accident occurred at about 9:20 am, at the junction of the Grove Public Road and Kaneville/Samatta Point main access road, East Bank Demerara and involved a lorry – GXX 1162, driven by a 42-year-old man and a pedestrian from Kaneville, East Bank Demerara.
According to the release, the lorry was proceeding south on the public road at Grove in a line of traffic. As the lorry approached the Jimbo Bridge junction, the driver stopped behind another motor lorry, which was proceeding in the same direction to allow vehicles to proceed west out of the access road. As the lorry which was in front drove off, the driver of lorry – GXX 1162 started to move off, continuing further south on the road and whilst in the process of doing so, the 15-year-old who was standing on the eastern side of the public road, started to cross the road from east to west in front of lorry. The left side of the lorry struck her, and as a result of the collision, the pedestrian ended up underneath the lorry.
Public-spirited citizens assisted the pedestrian, removing her from underneath the lorry. The ambulance service was summoned and a team of emergency medical technicians conveyed the pedestrian to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where she was examined. She was referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where an emergency surgery was performed on her hip.
A Breathalyzer test was conducted on the driver of the lorry and the results showed no trace of alcohol on his breath. He was arrested and held in custody at Grove Police Station while the lorry was lodged pending examination by a Licence and Certifying Officer.