JUSTICE Brassington Reynolds has commenced hearing preliminary submissions from defence lawyer Mursalene Bacchus into the horrific Berbice accident case, in which truck driver Chaitram Moonsammy faces 12 counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Moonsammy has pleaded not guilty to the indictments which state that on October 29, 2010, he drove motor lorry GLL 8863 in a manner dangerous  to the public, resulting in the deaths of : Oudit Narine  Babulall, 33 (the driver of the ill-fated minibus), of Number 48 Village; Salmaa Razac, 23 of lot 104 Main Street, Cumberland; Marques Ault, 14, of  Rose Hall Town;  Cindy Jaggernauth of  Nigg Settlement; two-month-old Josiah Khan, and his mother, Talika Mendonca, 21, of  Kildonan Village;  Patricia Asgarally, 28, of Albion; Salmar Juman, 40, of  East Canje; and  Orlando De Mattos, called Lando, 32, of Manchester Village, Nazaradin Mahinudin, 19, of Lot 40 Betsy Ground, East Canje; Chetram Ramphal, 30, of Bush Lot, and Janet Baker of Number 19 Village, Corentyne.

Meanwhile, rebuttal arguments by State Prosecutor Ms. Tuanna Hardy in the absence of the selected 12-member jury are expected to be heard prior to the ruling by the presiding judge.

On October 29, 2010, the day commenced no differently than any other day in the lives of the 12 persons who joined the ill-fated minibus. However, by dusk their motionless bodies  were being pulled out of the trench  at Suzanna  Village, Corentyne, having been killed in the worst reported vehicular accident to have occurred on the Berbice roadways.