FIFTY-THREE – year old George Jones, of 16 Public Road Little Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara, was up to press time hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GHPC) after a Toyota 212 motor car PJJ 9954, allegedly being driven by a drunken police officer slammed into his taxi, a Toyota Fielder HB 9240. The accident occurred at approximately 23.55 hrs on Sunday night just off the high bridge by the Demerara Distillers Limited at Diamond East Bank Demerara.
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle from his hospital bed yesterday afternoon Jones said that he was in severe pain and had to be transferred from the Diamond Hospital to the Georgetown Public Hospital for surgery. At the time of the accident Jones was taking a passenger from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport who works at the CARICOM Secretariat who identified herself as Ms. Wilson.
The driver of the taxi said that he was approaching the bridge at Diamond when he noticed a white car swerving all over the road and before he could take evasive action the car slammed into his vehicle head-on.
The Guyana Chronicle was told that the white 212 motor car was being driven by a police officer whose name was given as Ramrattan and who is stationed at the Timehri Police Station. It was also reported that at the time of the accident his brother was also in the vehicle and they both were allegedly under the influence. The Chronicle was further informed that after the accident the two men were still at pains to understand what occurred and where exactly they were. They were seen lying on the corner of the road with their clothes drenched in blood as they groaned in pain.
Persons who were on the scene said that following the accident and the men being rescued from the vehicles, the smell of alcohol filled the air with the one identified as the police officer saying that he cannot talk about the accident since he was a police officer and cannot comment on what happened.
One driver told the Chronicle that he was driving heading south along the East Bank road when he noticed the white Toyota Carina 212 speeding along the road appearing to be out of control. The man said that he decided to stay behind the vehicle out of fear that the car might slam into his rear should he go in front of it. He said that the car went its way and in the vicinity of the DDL area he heard a loud explosion and when he approached the bridge he noticed that the car had slammed into a taxi and the drivers were trapped inside. He said that the car was swaying out of control since it was in the vicinity of Providence.
One security guard who was working at the DDL factory at the time of the incident lamented that he noticed the car swaying after it was brought to his attention by the screeching of the tyres. The man said that at one point the car almost slammed into a motorcycle that was heading in the opposite direction.
According to information reaching this publication the occupants of the vehicles were pulled from the wreck by other persons who stopped to render assistance and offered to take the injured to the Diamond Hospital.
When this newspaper contacted Ms. Wilson yesterday afternoon she was making a doctor’s visit and asked that we call back. When we returned the call Ms. Wilson said that the incident was a horrifying one for her that could have caused her life.
The woman said that the vehicle she was travelling in was not speeding at the time and for every trip that she makes to Guyana she uses the very taxi driver and rated him a defensive driver. According to Ms. Wilson, both she and the taxi driver were wearing their seat belt as she sat in the front seat of the vehicle. She said that it was because of the activation of the airbag in the car that she believes she did not receive any serious injuries. She added that had she been sitting at the back of the vehicle she may have been hurled onto the roadway.
The CARICOM worker also told the Guyana Chronicle that the incident happened really fast. She said that all she noticed was a car with one head lamp heading directly into the path of the taxi she was travelling in at the time. She said that it was clear to everyone on the scene that the two men in the other vehicle were very much under the influence of alcohol.
Asked about her next move the woman said that she will be examining the possibilities of taking legal action by seeking legal advice.
Yesterday when this newspaper contacted the Grove Police Station, it was told that the matter was reported to the traffic headquarters. When the Chronicle contacted the police public relations office first at 16.00hrs the details of the accident had not yet reached him.
When the details available to this publication were related to the Public Relations Officer he promised to check and later confirmed the accident but his information does not suggest that the police officer was driving any of the vehicles. He did confirm that a police officer was however present in one of the cars at the time of the accident.
He also told the Chronicle that there is no positive indication whether any of the occupants of the cars were under the influence. He said that this is so because when the police arrived on the scene the occupants of the vehicle were already taken to the hospital.