EIGHT police ranks and three prisoners were injured after a police vehicle swerved from a GuySuCo lorry and slammed into a pharmacy at Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara (WCD) Public Road Friday morning. The injured were taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital and the Georgetown Public Hospital. The front of the police minibus PRR 2148 was severely damaged while the sugar estate lorry GEE 9882, which suffered minor damaged, was taken into police custody at the Leonora Police Station, along with the driver.
Owner of the pharmacy located at Lot, 6, Uitvlugt Front, WCD, Tiwari (only name given) said during his morning prayers, he heard an impact but did not realise the sound came from his building.

He said his daughter alerted him that a minibus crashed into a section of the building that houses the garage.
“When I come downstairs, I see the bus in the garage and police hollering in pain because some of them were pinned down while some of the guns were scattered,” the businessman said.
The injured were assisted and taken for medical attention. Vehicles had crashed into the building two times before, and according to the businessman, “if it wasn’t for the barrier and post I had set up the bus would have crashed into the drug store. That is what saved this section and save the police from receiving more serious injuries.”
His garage door and barricade were totally damaged and the wall at the side of the garage had a huge crack.
Eyewitnesses said the GuySuCo lorry was turning into a street next to the pharmacy when the police vehicle which was heading towards Vreed-en Hoop blaring its siren, at a fast rate, did not slow down, resulting in the minibus swerving from the lorry, and crashing into the building.
“If they had slammed into the truck it would have been fatal; the police driver tried to avoid crashing into the truck,” the eyewitnesses said.
Meanwhile, Stewartville resident Vincent Harvey related that he could have been a dead man if he followed through with his usual daily routine of sitting down with his birdcage on the barricade next to the pharmacy where the accident occurred.
“This morning my mind tell me don’t come out here, so I decide to cut a limb off my cherry tree that was hanging next to an electric wire. So I decided not to walk out my bird in its cage and sit at the exact spot where the accident happened,” Harvey said.
Divisional Commander Leslie James said that a motorbus was transporting prisoners from ‘G’ Division (Essequibo Coast and Islands), when along the Uitvlugt access road, West Coast Demerara, the bus was obstructed by another vehicle.

He said the police vehicle took evasive action and ended “up further south where a collision occurred with a barricade in front of a home, the vehicle proceeded over that barricade and struck a garage resulting in minor damage”.
The commander explained that the bus received extensive damage during which a female police rank was trapped.
With assistance of the Fire Department at Leonora, WCD, the rank was extracted and taken for medical attention.
“A number of ranks were injured, some sustained broken legs, bruises and other minor injuries. Two male prisoners and a female, also sustained injuries,” the Assistant Commissioner related.
Expressing relief that there was no fatalities, James said the injuries received were not life threatening and all the weapons and rounds were retrieved from the accident scene.
A report will be prepared for advice pertaining to the injured ranks, damage to property and vehicle.
Police said the trailer driver is in custody assisting with investigations.