BROKEN feet, hands, lacerations and extensive damage resulted from an accident at Friendship, East Bank Demerara on Monday morning when a sand truck slammed into a minibus travelling in the opposite direction.Those injured included the driver of the truck along with the minibus driver, conductor and passengers. All persons involved in the accident were rushed to the Diamond Hospital before some were transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

From all indications and according to eyewitnesses, the sand truck GLL 8377 was heading south along the Friendship Public Road to a sandpit on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway while the minibus, BPP 6035, with the passengers was heading north to Georgetown when the accident occurred.
The truck is registered to one Shyam Ally of Lot 1 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara.
The Guyana Chronicle was informed that a car overtook the truck and immediately slowed down to turn into a cross street in front of the truck. The driver of the truck then took evasive action to avoid hitting the car and applied brakes while steering the truck to the right of the road and ended up in the path of the minibus.
The minibus driver also applied brakes but the two vehicles still collided. The impact caused the minibus to bounce back and break through some steel and wooden reinforcement at the shoulder of the road. However, the mangrove plants which are planted to prevent soil erosion prevented the bus from ending up in the Demerara River.
However, no one cited speeding as the cause of the accident. One man said that when he heard the impact he rushed out of his house and heard passengers of the minibus screaming and begging for help. They were quickly assisted by persons who were in passing vehicles.
When this publication arrived on the scene, the truck was still at the accident site and mechanics were working on it since there was some difficulty in getting the engine started.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the road there were wigs, umbrellas, slippers and other belongings from passengers of the minibus.

The road was also littered with glass and other components from both the minibus and the truck in the aftermath of the collision. At the Diamond Hospital and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, relatives of the injured gathered as they awaited word on the condition of their loved ones.
The mother of the truck driver subsequently showed up at the scene and later visited the hospital to check on the passengers of the minibus who had been injured in the accident. Over at the Grove Police Station the mangled minibus was parked outside the police station compound.
The minibus windows were broken and blood stains could be seen in parts of the vehicle while its airbag was activated and the seats uprooted from the impact.
The police are continuing their investigations into the accident. It is not clear if there were any attempts to apprehend the driver of the car who caused the truck to slam into the minibus.