– road deaths climb to 98

By Jeune Bailey Van Keric 
TWO Berbice cousins lost their lives during a return trip from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, after  a motor pickup collided with the right front side of their vehicle on the Unity Pubic Road, East Coast Demerara.

Dead are Kelvin Cort, 26, an entrepreneur of Lot 4 Courtland Village,  Fyrish, Corentyne and Jennifer Grant, 41, of Betsy Ground, Canje. Grant was a mother of four and worked as an auxiliary staff of the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.
The accident comes days after the police launched a campaign to curb the rate of road fatalities, which has now climbed to 98.
According to the police, the accident occurred about 19:30hrs on Friday.
Reports are that Cort was proceeding east along the northern side of the road in motor car PSS  6778 with five occupants, when motor pickup GMM 426, which was proceeding in the opposite direction, suddenly swerved into the path of the car and collided with its right front side.

As a result of the impact, the driver of the car and the occupants, namely Jennifer Grant and Jancey Grant, 18, both of Betsy Ground, East Canje, Berbice, along with Petal Thom, 35, Sayol Thom, 38 and Mark Thom, 16, all of Liverpool Village, Corentyne, were rushed to the Georgetown Hospital where Cort and Jennifer Grant died while receiving medical attention. The other persons were admitted to the hospital. The driver of the pickup is in police custody.
Meanwhile, at Cort’s home, his mother Carol held a “Cayeene” belt, the last item she would ever hold from her son.  It was given to her by one of her six remaining children, who had seen their brother breathe his last in the Intensive Unit at the Georgetown Pubic Hospital Corporation just after 01:00hr on Saturday.
According to the woman, her son had left home shortly after 14:00hrs on Friday and had gone to Liverpool Village, Corentyne, were he picked up his cousins, who were the other occupants in the car.
From there, they proceeded to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport where they picked up Petal Thom, who was returning home after spending her vacation in the United States of America.
Relatives said Petal was seated in the front passenger seat while her sister Jennifer was seated behind the driver’s seat. Another sister Fayola, along with Petal’s only daughter Jancey, and Petal’s son Mark, was also in the back seat. Petal sustained a fractured arm while the other occupants have all sustained injuries and are being monitored.
Cort was the fourth of five children born to Caron and Bertie Cort. He was described as hard- working and had just days before celebrated his birthday and had even asked his girlfriend’s parents for her hand in marriage.
His father said his son fed the pigs and did all his chores before departing that day. He never knew he would not be returning home in the car which he had bought just over a year ago.
At Jennifer Grant’s home at Betsy Ground, East Canje, her eldest son Jamaine, could not accept the fact that his loving and hard-working mother was not coming home.