THE owner of Kosmos Bar and Grill located at Movietowne and a senior police officer were on Tuesday evening killed when the vehicle they were in careened off the road on the Rupert Craig Highway and crashed into the concrete fence of car dealership, Yokohoma Trading at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

Dead are: Dillon De Ramos, 37, the proprietor of the popular Kosmos Bar and Grill and Senior Superintendent of Police Brian Eastman, 35, attached to the Special Branch of the Guyana Police Force. The men are said to be best friends. De Ramos, a father of two, of Lot 85 Dennis Street, Campbellville, and Eastman of 1515 Norton Street, Wortmanville, were travelling in a high-end Lexus PTT 6775, driven by De Ramos, when he apparently lost control and crashed into the concrete fence of Yokohoma Trading. It appears as though the two were heading into the city. The vehicle is damaged beyond repair.

Immediately after the horrific accident, scores of persons converged at the scene and several men were observed using the searchlight of their phones to rummage inside the mangled remains of the vehicle, with speculations that they were looking for a firearm. Word on the ground was that De Ramos died on the spot, while Eastman who was trapped inside had to be taken out by public-spirited citizens.

Meanwhile, over at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), it was a scene of gloom as relatives and friends upon receiving news of the dreadful accident rushed to the institution. Some were visibly distraught and could not contain their grief as they screamed calling out the name `Brian’ while others were tight –tipped regarding any information.
The fatal accident comes one day after there were several others over the past weekend and also when the country is observing Road Safety Week. At the end of October some 85 persons, among them six children had been killed in road accidents for 2019 – an increase, when compared to the deaths recorded in 2018, Coordinator of the National Road Safety Council, Ramona Doorgen, disclosed recently, even as she called for an end to the reckless use of the country’s roads.

According to the Guyana Police Force, the leading causes of traffic mishaps in the country, are speeding and driving while under the influence of alcohol. Other major causes are driving while distracted by use of a cellphone, pedestrian inattentiveness, and failure to heed traffic signs and warnings. Though there are established speed limits across the country – 50 km/h in the towns and along sections of the East Bank Demerara (EBD) corridor – Doorgen said some drivers are in the habit of exceeding the speed limits, thereby putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. Speaking directly to drivers, through the online platform, Doorgen pleaded with them to drive within the speed limits.