ODESSA Howard, a 37-year-old housewife and mother of five and resident of Canal No. 1, West Bank Demerara, was on Sunday evening pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Regional Hospital; whilst her husband Peter Howard, a police rank attached to Police Headquarters at Eve Leary, was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital in a serious condition following an accident on the Nismes Public Road.
Peter Howard was driving a motor cycle with Odessa as his pillion rider when a car struck them from behind. The impact reportedly caused Odessa to be flung into the air, and upon landing on the

road, she broke her neck; while Peter suffered other injuries. It is not clear if the two were wearing any helmet at the time of the accident, which occurred at approximately 19:00hrs.

Speaking with the Chronicle at the La Grange Police Station, West Bank Demerara yesterday afternoon, the dead woman’s brother, Quamie Chandler, explained that his sister and her husband had left home to visit a gas station to purchase snacks to place in the lunch bags for their children to take to school on Monday, and were returning home when the tragedy occurred.

He said that up to late yesterday, his brother-in-law was in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital and his condition was listed as a 50/50 chance.

The Guyana Police Force sent out a media release yesterday about the accident, but failed to include the fact that the rider of the bike who was identified as Peter Howard is a policeman. The release also failed to confirm if the two were wearing any helmet at the time of the accident.

The police however did confirm that the woman was pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, and that the driver of the motorcar was in police custody assisting with the investigations.

There was no mention of the vehicle number of the car the errant driver was driving at the time.
At the police station, the motorcycle that the couple was on proved that they were indeed struck from behind, as the rear of the motorcycle, CH 4855, showed extensive damage.

By Leroy Smith