– residents retaliate by beating driver, setting truck on fire

ON Saturday afternoon, 7-year-old Ciara Benjamin was crushed to death by a truck, bearing registration GWW962, whose driver was allegedly speeding along the roadway when he lost control of the vehicle.

According to eyewitnesses on the scene, the driver of a speeding sand truck on Saturday afternoon lost control of the vehicle on the East Bank Demerara highway, at Agricola, as he was heading to the city.

The child was reportedly standing at the highway’s median at approximately 16:00hrs with her aunt, Simone Barry, waiting to cross the road. The truck collided with Ciara and pinned her to the median.

The young girl’s aunt, Barry, lost consciousness after being hit by the truck that caused her niece’s tragic death. However, she soon regained consciousness and was struck with the severity of the situation.

“I was crossing the road, I was holding my niece hand tight,” a distraught Barry recounted to reporters at the scene. “I was holding her hand to cross the road to go home and I get pitched, and I get blackout and I don’t know what happened.”

Just after recounting the ordeal to reporters, Barry fainted and was taken away.

The driver of the truck was accosted by residents who rushed to the scene. Police officers arrived later and took him away; he was sent to the hospital.

The horrific accident also led to a back-up of traffic along the highway lasting well into the evening. Long lines of vehicles were seen along the East Bank of Demerara as far as the Providence Stadium, and along Mandela Avenue. This was because the truck was lodged on the median and had to be removed before the young girl’s body could be retrieved.

As persons attempted to remove the truck, a mammoth crowd also gathered around the scene. Many of the persons present were expressing the anger towards the negligence of the driver and called for justice.

Taking matters into their own hands, persons poured gasoline onto the truck and set it afire. This occurred at around 18:30hrs and caused a further build-up of traffic. At 19:30hrs, a fire engine was seen still trying to make its way through the traffic to douse the inflamed truck.