Over the last few days, horrific road accidents have taken the lives of a six-year-old boy, two cops and a young proprietor, leaving not only their families in great grief but the Granger administration as well.
Speaking to the pain this state of affairs has caused as well as the need for an inquest was Director General at the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.
In providing updates from the most recent Cabinet briefing to members of the press this morning, Harmon said that the discussion on the use of the roadways, in light of the recent accidents, is critical since every life lost is important to the administration.
The Director-General said, “We are a small population and every life lost by unnatural means will require an inquest. In fact, our laws require a Coroner’s inquest into the death of any person by unnatural means. And so, the death of persons on the roads is a source of major concern to us.”
What bothers the administration the most is not just the number of persons who are dying but their youthfulness. In some cases too, he said that those who died would have been qualified people who were basically poised to reap the benefits of a nation that is about to see massive transformation from the oil industry.
The Cabinet Secretary added, “…For their lives to be snuffed out in that way is painful. We share this pain as a government and we will do what is necessary to ensure our roads are safe and citizens feel safe; that whether they use public transportation such as hire cars and minibusses, that certain standards are enforced.”
Harmon then noted that just recently, President David Granger, during an address to the Road Safety Council, emphasized the importance of enforcing the requisite laws along with the need to be vigilant in identifying certain risk factors and employing preventative measures.
On November 5, last, this news agency would have reported that the Guyana Police Force was investigating a fatal accident involving one of its ranks which occurred sometime around 01:00hr in the morning on Brickdam. Twenty-nine-year-old Carl Roach of Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara (EBD)was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
The following day, the owner of Kosmos Grill and Bar, Dillion De Ramos of Dennis Street, Campbellville and his friend, Brian Eastman of Norton Street, who was a Senior Superintendent and held a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), were killed in an accident on the Rupert Craig Highway. Both were also former students of President’s College.
And just yesterday, a six-year-old boy lost his life when the driver of a motorcar lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the lad, his mother and two siblings.
The accident happened just after 16:00 hrs at Bushlot, West Coast Berbice.
