THREE persons, including the driver, escaped with minor injuries after a motor car careened off Homestretch Avenue in Georgetown on Wednesday night. The vehicle, PHH 8183 uprooted a utility pole before coming to a halt in a trench in front of the National Communications Network (NCN just after 23:30hrs).
Kenelm Jodhan, of Lot 114 George Street, Werk-en-Rust, also in the city, who was at the wheel, admitted, after he exited the vehicle, that, earlier he had two shots of Scotch whiskey.
He had just turned off Mandela Avenue into Homestretch Avenue and was approaching the National Archives when he saw a pedal cyclist in the middle of his path with no lights or reflectors on his bicycle.
Jodhan said he, immediately, took evasive action in an attempt to avoid hitting the cyclist but, in doing steered the car onto the road shoulder and lost control, causing it to crash into the post on which there were electricity and telephone lines.
The impact caused the pole to split into two, although Jodhan said he was not speeding at the time.
The cyclist suffered a bruised finger and the female passenger in the car received cuts and scrapes, while Jodhan had a gaping wound on his forehead, for which he was treated at a hospital and sent away.
In the heated exchange that followed, Jodhan accused the cyclist, who gave his only name as Joseph, of reckless riding and the latter said he was negotiating away from a pool of water and had to venture a bit closer to the centre of the roadway.
The Guyana Chronicle learnt that Jodhan had, before the crash, attended a birthday party.
The accident prevented vehicles from being able to enter or leave the NCN complex because of dangling transmission cables at the gateway of the premises. As a result, the scene also attracted the attention of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), Guyana  Police Force (GPF) traffic ranks, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) and Guyana Power &Light (GPL) crews.