—President says Friendship accident should not have occurred

“WE have to be more careful, at all the levels, about safety on the roads,” President David Granger said on Wednesday as he reacted once again to the gruesome Tuesday morning accident on the Friendship, East Bank Demerara Public Road, which took the lives of five persons.

The President has recommended better road safety markings and the enforcement of road safety rules even as he said: “From every point of view that was an accident which ought not to have happened.”

Five persons were, on October 15, killed when a police car slammed into another car.
Among those dead are policeman Ronel Barker; Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant, Leon Tucker; Lovern Stoby, a member of the Special Constabulary and Herbert Josiah and his wife, Denise Josiah, both of whom worked at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.
Barker, who was driving a Guyana Police Force (GPF) car, was proceeding south along the EBD corridor in the direction of Timehri at the time of the accident. He was in the company of Police Lance Corporal Travis Fullington, who is one of two survivors.

Tucker, the GDF Sergeant, was headed in the northern direction on the roadway in his private car (PPP 515) when disaster struck. Stoby, Herbert Josiah and his wife were all occupants of that vehicle along with another woman, who survived the early morning smash-up.

Surveillance footage nearby captured motorcar PPP 515 moving at a moderate pace when the police vehicle with flashing lights, slammed head-on into it. On the point of impact, the police vehicle spun several times before coming to a halt in a nearby trench.
President David Granger, who was at another EBD location, visited the scene after learning of the accident. The Ministry of the Presidency, on his behalf, issued a statement subsequently and the President himself addressed the nation in a video later that day.
“From a personal point of view, it was very distressing to see four dead bodies on the road at that hour in the morning, extremely distressing. I hope I never have to witness a scene like that [again],” the President said on Wednesday.

“It was inexplicable that 5:45 in the morning, clear morning, no rain, no obstacles on the road that there could be such a horrific accident…there’s no reason. It’s not as though there were animals or some obstacles on the road which had to be avoided.”

Yet, he noted that the impact at which the two vehicles collided pushed them into or near to the opposite canals on the road. The President told media operatives that from the time of the arrival of the fleet of GPF cars, the GPF had been instructed to carefully select drivers; to schedule regular maintenance of the vehicles and to supervise the use of the vehicles.

This aside, to assure safer roads in Guyana, the President firmly recommended: “Roads have to be better marked; there must be more pedestrian sidewalks; there must be enforcement of the rule against consuming alcohol; there must be enforcement of speed limits. We have to make our roads safe.” A Commission of Inquiry (COI) has been launched into the accident as directed by the President just two hours after it took place when he met with the National Security Council (NSC). It is to be overseen by GPF Deputy Commissioner and President Granger has stated that he eagerly awaits the findings of the incident. He said: “I can assure you that the Police Force, the Government of Guyana, Cabinet that we’ve been apprised of what occurred and we expect to have that inquiry within a matter of hours, not days.”