A police vehicle carrying a senior police official involved in an accident this morning on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) had no flashing lights and siren on, the police force has confirmed.
The incident occurred around 06:15hrs on Friendship Public Road and involved a motor pickup owned by the Guyana Police Force and a motor lorry from Ashoka Buildcon Limited of GUYSUCO Compound, La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara.
The police pickup, bearing registration PAC 5254 and driven by 31-year-old Police Constable Ellery Mason, was ferrying Senior Superintendent of Police and Commander of the Regional Division 4B, Mahendra Singh at the time of the accident. The senior official was heading to a “presidential engagement”. The motor lorry, identified as GAE 38 was being operated by 29-year-old Truck Driver Romel Benjamin from Lovely Lass Village, West Coast Berbice.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the lorry was hurtling along the western side of Friendship Public Road at a rapid pace, while the police pickup, was moving in the opposite direction. The rate of the police vehicle was not disclosed by the force in its missive to the media.
Eyewitnesses recounted the harrowing moment when the lorry initiated an overtaking manoeuvre along the road’s eastern side, veering into the path of the police pickup. The impact resulted in extensive damage to both vehicles, and both Commander Singh and the police driver sustained injuries.
Prompt actions by public-spirited individuals ensured the injured parties received swift medical attention. Ellery Mason, the police driver, was diagnosed with a broken right leg and left wrist, necessitating further treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital. Meanwhile, Commander Singh, who suffered multiple abrasions on his body, was also treated at the GPHC.
In the aftermath of the collision, authorities administered a breathalyzer test on Romel Benjamin, the motor lorry driver. The test returned negative. Benjamin was served with a Notice of Intended Prosecution and is presently in custody, cooperating with ongoing investigations.
