– o n series of traffic-related charges, among them ‘causing death’

A 25-year-old unlicensed truck driver was on Thursday arraigned in court for causing the death on Tuesday of 68-year-old pedalcyclist, Deonarine Lalchand.
Chait Balkarran, of Woodley Park, West Coast Berbice, appeared before Magistrate Melissa Mittelholzer at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on five charges, the first of which alleges that on September 22, 2020, he drove motor truck GMM 9448 along the Wash Clothes, Mahaicony Branch Road in such a dangerous manner to have resulted in the death of Lalchand.

He was not required to plead to that particular charge and was released on $400,000 bail, but for being an unlicensed driver, in breach of insurance, failing to stop after the accident, and failing to render assistance to the victim, to all of which he pleaded not guilty, he was released on a total of $50,000 bail.
The case has been adjourned until October 19, 2020.

According to reports, motor truck GMM 9448, which was being driven by Balkarran, was proceeding south along the eastern side of the Wash Clothes, Mahaicony Branch Road when, as he was about to pass Lalchand, the pedalcyclist, who was proceeding in the said direction, the latter suddenly swerved, in his attempt to avoid a pool of water, right into the path of the lorry.

This sudden swerve of Lalchand’s, the police say, caused the lorry’s driver to take evasive action by pulling to the western parapet to avoid a collision, but despite his best efforts, the vehicle’s left rear wheel ‘clipped’ the bicycle, which resulted in the cyclist falling onto the roadway and being run over by the said lorry.
By the time the cyclist, who was by then unconscious, was picked up and taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.