FOUR persons have been injured when one of the new pick-up vehicles gifted to the Guyana Police Force Berbice Division crashed Thursday afternoon on the Canefield, Public Road, East Canje.

The driver of the PWW-5452 registered vehicle was attempting to overtake two others when he collided with motorcar PJJ5270 which was motoring along the Canefield, Public Road. As a result of the collision, four persons sought medical attention at the New Amsterdam Hospital. They are: 25-year-old Melville Meredith, of Reliance, East Canje and Joanne Wright, 23 years of Islington along with Sharol Gorgapersaud, 32 years, and her son Jehu, both of Cumberland Village, East Canje.

According to an eyewitness of the accident, she was riding her bicycle along the northern carriageway going east when she felt a great gush of wind as the police vehicle speedily passed her. The witness said the police vehicle proceeded to overtake a cargo truck which was behind motorcar PJJ 5270. Simultaneously, the car driver, Seon Gorgapersaud, had indicated his intention to make a right turn onto a bridge when the police vehicle hit its front bumper.

As a result of the collision, the motor vehicle spun out of its lane and was dragged a short distance before the front bumper was ripped off. The driver of the police vehicle, seemingly lost control as he swerved into the southern carriage and the road shoulder before coming to a halt over 20 feet away from the point of impact.

The windscreen was shattered while the left bumper and wheel were damaged on the Guyana Police Force vehicle. After the collision, the police ranks in the vehicle were quickly taken away as they were seen holding various parts of their body. The passengers in the other vehicle Sherol Gorgapersaud, and her son Jehu, complained of pains on their right side and back of the head, respectively.

Shortly after the incident, Commander Lindon Alves visited the scene and was seen speaking to the driver, Seon Gorgapersaud.
Meanwhile, during the commissioning of the vehicle on Wednesday at the divisional headquarters in New Amsterdam, Commander Alves emphasised that persons will be held accountable for damaging the vehicles. “The administration has developed a check list, a hand-over take-over form which must be filled out at the end of tour of duty.

The persons who are taking over are to ensure there are no infractions such as broken lights or missing parts, if so, it must be reported immediately…persons will be made to pay. We must understand it is not business as usual’, he reiterated.”