AT least seven of the persons injured in Sunday’s fatal accident, which claimed the life of Padmawattie Rajkumar at Lima, Essequibo Coast, were air dashed to the city and are now patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Those hospitalised are:  Vincent Persaud, 52, of Charity (the driver of the minibus in which they were travelling); the dead woman, Padmawattie Rajkumar’s two children:  Amesh Navindra Persaud, seven, and Getta Persaud six;   Allan Gildery 35; his wife, Claire Daniels 33; and their two-year son, Alex Gildery.  Also at the GPHC yesterday was Krishna Persaud 35 – widower of the deceased Padmawattie Rajkumar, but who was not admitted.
Krishna Persaud who sustained injuries to his right arm and shoulder, preferred not to be admitted, saying that he wanted to ‘be there’ for his two children who are  hospitalised and now without a mother.
Meanwhile, the driver of the minibus, Vincent Persaud, suffered head injuries, broken legs, and a broken arm as well and yesterday remained in an unconscious state in the High Dependency Unit of the GPHC.  His condition is listed as critical.
Allan Gildery and his wife Claire both suffered broken legs, and were warded at the Male and Female Surgical Wards respectively.  Claire sustained three fractures to her right leg, while Allan broke both legs and suffered injuries to an arm and his chest as well.
The three children are all warded at the Pediatric Ward, where doctors continue to monitor their condition closely.  Seven-year-old Amesh suffered broken hands and feet and a back injury as well, his father, Krishna said.  He confirmed that six-year-old Geeta also suffered a broken leg.
Tragedy struck on the Lima Public Road, Essequibo Coast, around midday on Sunday, when the bus taking the two families (in-laws) to the Regatta at Lake Mainstay, became involved in an accident with a motor car.  Surviving family members from the bus said that, as they were heading in the direction of Anna Regina, a motor car negotiating a bend, crashed into the bus, resulting in a horrific accident which left one dead and at least ten others seriously injured
Others injured but not transferred to the GPHC were:  Satesh Singh 9; driver of the motor car, Junior Ramroop whose face was disfigured and who underwent emergency surgery at the Suddie Hospital and one other.
Krishna Persaud’s sister, who recalled the agony of seeing her sister-in-law, Padmawattie, pinned in the bus and unable to get out, said that her husband tried desperately to free her, without success.  On hearing the loud impact, villagers rushed to the rescue and together they freed her, but she succumbed.   The injured were rushed to the Suddie Hospital.
Lamenting the loss of a wonderful mother and wife, Padmawattie, whom they also described as jovial and always pleasant, Krishna and his sister recalled that just last week she took the children to visit their grandparents, Kenneth and Sattie Persaud, who live at Warapama, Pomeroon where they attended a wedding.  She also took them to visit her parents, Patsy and Balram Rajkumar, and they had a wonderful time together not knowing that it would have been their last moments together.