This morning, Jawella Durant and her five siblings lost their mother and stepfather in a tragic accident that also claimed the lives of three other persons on the Friendship, East Bank Demerara (EBD)’s Public Road when a speeding police vehicle crashed into the car in which they were travelling.
Fifty-eight-year old Herbert Josiah, a porter at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, and his wife, Denise Josiah, a maid supervisor at the same hospital, were killed on the spot. The Friendship residents were heading to work around 05:36 hrs when their lives ended.
During an interview with Guyana Standard, a tearful Durant said that the “reckless” driving by the lawman has led to a tragedy that could have been avoided. She said, “So many lives were snatched from us this morning. The speeding has to stop.”
The young lady said that her mother only married Herbert Josiah in July, last after three years of dating.
“My mother and stepfather left good, good for work this morning and they were waiting on the road for a bus when the Special constable, Lovern Stoby passed with her nephew, Leon Tucker, and offered them a drop to work,” she recalled while adding that things would have been different had her parents left home a little late this morning.
Durant recalled being on the road countless times and seeing police vehicles speeding on the roadway and thinking to herself “what would they (police drivers) do if they hit down their own family with the speed they (are) driving with.”
The grieving daughter is calling on the Guyana Police Force to ensure its drivers adhere to the speed limit. “These lawmen don’t have to be speeding so much. They can always leave early rather than speeding. I lost my mom today, please drive carefully you can save someone’s parents tomorrow.”
The accident also claimed the lives of Stoby of Third Street, Friendship; her nephew who was also the driver of the car, Tucker and Presidential guard, Ronell Barker of Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Surveillance footage showed Tucker heading towards Georgetown when the speeding police vehicle, which was heading in the opposite direction, crashed into him. The police vehicle was being driven in the middle of the road and could not have been slowed down in time upon seeing the other car.
Traffic ranks said that Tucker did mashed brakes but this was not enough since the police vehicle “was flying towards him.” After crashing into the private car, the police vehicle ended up in a trench at the side of the road.
Based on information just received, a second presidential guard, 25-year-old Travis Fullington is nursing injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.
