Family of hit-and-run victim stage protest

THE widow, Abiola McPherson and three of the six children of dead ital food vendor Claude Derrick Mc Pherson, who was killed on February 27, staged a peaceful placard bearing protest yesterday.
In their quest for justice, they were accompanied by relatives of the deceased, who was struck off his bicycle and dragged some 400 yards before being run over by the driver of a Guyana Water Inc (GWI) vehicle.
The protesting took place in front of GWI Head Office at Vlissengen Road and Church Street where activist and pardoned treason accused Mark Benschop spoke in support of the demonstrators.
He said the family members and relatives of Mc Pherson are pleased that the driver involved in the death of their loved one was charged and put before the Court yesterday.
But they demanded justice to the fullest as no effort was made by GWI to talk to them or offer financial assistance to the family.
Benschop said: “Look how the fatal accident happened; the driver did not stop or render assistance and, to top it off, parked the vehicle in GWI’s compound and fled and then went into hiding and Mc Pherson has been treated like an animal, with his family left to suffer, the wife and six children.”
He stated that the water company did not even attempt to contact the family at any time or offer to offset the funeral expense Mc Pherson.
The dead man’s wife said it is very difficult for her to cope with the sudden loss of her husband, who was the sole breadwinner of the home and now she is left to single-handedly support six children.

White bicycle
Mc Pherson, called ‘Chippy’ 43, of Lot 169 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, also in Georgetown, was struck off his white bicycle, pulled for more than 400 yards away from the point of impact and then run over by the GWI vehicle about 21:00 hrs on Trench Road, in the city too.
He was on his way home to retrieve his cell phone that he had forgotten there when he was killed.
The driver, who fled the scene, did not report for duty at GWI since having reported that he had hit a horse after lodging the keys to the silver grey Toyota Hilux Surf pick-up.
The morning after the fatal hit and run accident relatives of Mc Pherson conducted their own investigation and found the ill-fated vehicle parked in the compound of GWI and alerted the Police, who took it away.
A post mortem revealed that Mc Pherson died as a result of multiple injuries and relatives said his body was broken in almost every part.
GWI said it has been cooperating with the Police fully and efforts are being made to meet with the McPherson family.

(By Michel Outridge)