EDUCATION Minister Priya Manickchand on Thursday night visited the relatives of the men who were mowed down on Monday night on the De Willem Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD), when a teen driver crashed into the Sharmilla Harikissoon Sports Bar.

“My thoughts and prayers are with these families who have been left heartbroken and without fathers, husbands, children and breadwinners,” Minister Manickchand stated in a Facebook post.

On Friday, Matthew Ambedkar, who was driving the car involved in the horrific accident, appeared at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court on three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Ambedkar, 19, of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was not required to plead to the charges which were read to him by Magistrate Zamilla Seepaul-Ali.

It is alleged that on March 7, 2022, he drove motorcar PVV 1051 in a dangerous manner along the De Willem Public Road, which resulted in the death of Kiran Ramprashad, known as “Rocky”, a 48-year-old fisherman of Zeeburg, WCD; Carlito Gobin, known as “Carlos”, a 22-year-old Venezuelan national of De Willem; and 44-year-old Ayube Mohammed, a fisherman known as “Quarter”, of Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD.

Ambedkar, who was represented by Attorney-at-Law Konyo Sandiford, was remanded to prison until March 24, 2022.

This newspaper had previously reported that the teen, who was driving his father’s Toyota Raum (PVV 1051), was allegedly racing another car identified as a Toyota 212. The whole ordeal was caught on surveillance cameras from nearby businesses.

They were heading in the direction of Parika, EBE, when Ambedkar lost control and crashed into a parked Nissan X-Trail (PYY 9456), and then ploughed into three persons at the Sharmilla Harikissoon Sports Bar.
He received injuries to the left side of his face, while the trio received injuries about their bodies.

They were all taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where they were seen and examined by a doctor on duty who pronounced Ramprashad, Gobin and Mohammed dead on arrival.