-child was one of two killed in separate weekend road accidents

POLICE investigations continue as families grapple with grief after two children were killed in separate road accidents over the weekend.

One of the accidents involved a juvenile motorcycle rider, who is currently in police custody. In that accident, which occurred on Saturday, 10-year-old Ketley Primary School pupil Gabriela Rodrigues was killed. She was struck by a motorcycle while its rider was attempting to perform a ‘wheelie’ along Independence Boulevard.

According to reports, Rodrigues, who resided at 17 James Street, was returning home from a church missionary event on Saturday afternoon when the motorcycle struck her.

Witnesses told members of the media that the boy was attempting to perform a stunt when he lost control of the motorcycle and hit Rodrigues. Rodrigues’ mother, Patricia Bernard, stated that the impact threw the 10-year-old into a nearby utility pole, leaving her with severe head trauma and internal injuries, including a punctured lung.

Recounting the time spent with her daughter following the accident, Bernard said that as they were heading to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the child kept slipping in and out of consciousness.

Despite the efforts of the medical staff, the child succumbed to her injuries later that day.

Rodrigues, who was the youngest daughter among seven children, was described by her mother as joyful. She was also preparing to sit the National Grade Six Assessment next year.

The circumstances surrounding the accident were made more challenging for both the family and law enforcement after the motorcyclist reportedly removed the keys and the fled the scene.

This publication understands that on Monday the teen went to the Ruimveldt Police Station accompanied by his parents and an attorney. A file has since been prepared and was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice. The motorcycle is in the police’s possession as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the accident.

The child’s relatives are calling for accountability and want the person responsible for her death to face the full force of the law.

Meanwhile, in Berbice, Giresh Lautan died after the motorcycle he was travelling on as a pillion rider collided with a horse along Number 50 Village Public Road, Corentyne.

The 14-year-old student of Skeldon High School and resident of Number 52 Village, Corentyne, was the eldest of three children of 30-year-old single mother Anita Taman.

Speaking to the media, Taman said she had no knowledge that her son had left home and only learnt that something had happened after receiving a telephone call informing her that he had been involved in an accident.

According to Taman, her sister’s husband, who is Lautan’s uncle, had taken the teenager on the motorcycle without informing her. She said this occurred at around 03:30hrs on Saturday. After receiving word of the accident, Taman said she went to the hospital, where she saw her son’s body.

She told the media that there was blood around the teenager’s face and nose and that she also observed what appeared to be an injury to one side of his head.

According to her, her brother-in-law was hospitalised, but she could not say what his condition is currently.

Taman also expressed concern about animals being on the roadway.