SEVERAL secondary school students were yesterday morning injured and had to be rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, after a minibus transporting them to the Inter-Schools’ Athletic Sports at the former Bourda Cricket Ground in Georgetown, crashed and overturned at the corner of North Road and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, just outside the sports ground. Among the injured were Namon Gill, of 279 Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara; Eukini Mc Pherson, 13, of Campbellville Secondary School; Jonathan Harry, 16, of St. Joseph’s High School; Cassdandra Henry, 16, of 6 Public Road, Ruimveldt, East Bank Demerara; Latisha Samuels, 16, of Nismes, West Bank Demerara; Chinese Phillips, 16 and Lancelot Barker of Cemetery Road Mocha-Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, all students of St. Joseph’s High School.
The students suffered varying degrees of injuries, none of which appeared to be life-threatening, but they were taken to have X-rays done and were treated accordingly. However, among those who seemed to have suffered most severely was Lancelot Barker, who was fitted with a brace around his neck.
Witnesses said that around 9:15hrs the bus, which was carrying mostly students of St. Joseph’s High School, was proceeding south along Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, and had almost reached its destination, when the accident occurred.
They said that as the bus approached North Road, it suddenly swerved from behind a Ram vehicle, and as it overtook the Ram, crashed into motor car PJJ 6711 travelling west along North Road. On impact, the bus was flung into a lamp post at the corner and toppled about three times before ending up in a drain.
This newspaper was unable to ascertain the extent of injuries suffered by occupants of the car, Mrs. Sharon Williams and her family, including her three-year-old grandson. Her car ended up in a drain outside Our Lady of Fatima Church, alongside the wrecked minibus.
Outraged witnesses who ran to the rescue said that as soon as the minibus came to a standstill, the driver hurriedly jumped out, and without looking to see what injuries his passengers had suffered, ran up the road. They claimed they never saw him back, but instead, another man appeared and told the police that he was the driver of the bus.
Police are continuing investigations.