By Lakhram Bhagirat
The last time the family of businessman Derek Mangal saw him alive was on the morning of May 29, 2017 when he left their home to take his beloved “towa towa” bird for their routine morning stroll in the city. But he did not know when he was leaving his home that it would be the last time that he would ever see his family.
The 45-year-old Regent Multiplex Mall businessman, along with his beloved bird, lost their lives at the corner of Camp and Middle Streets, Georgetown sometime around 07:30h that day. His death has left a void in the lives of his daughter and wife that they are still trying to come to grips with.
One can only begin to imagine how they have been coping with the loss of their sole provider and someone who was described as generous, kind, loyal and jovial. But no one knows exactly where his family finds the strength to move on and according to his daughter Diandra, they are taking every day one at a time.
The wounds of his passing are still fresh and in order to sustain the family and keep his legacy alive, the family still keeps the business alive despite some challenges. Diandra said that the toughest part for her is trying to move on, since she is yet to find the strength to do so. She said that the impact of her father’s death is immeasurable, but they have to be there for each other and find the strength to live another day without him.
“Well, it’s (his death) been a negative impact, of course, but we’ve managed to pull through with time, because life still goes on. For me, it was hard because there were times that I broke down and cried because the way in which he died, it was so unfair. I’ve had times where I wanted to break down all the time and give up on everything, but the small memory of him always kept me going,” she said.
The Police said that motor car PPP 9843 was proceeding north along the western carriageway while motor car PPP 3751 was proceeding west along Middle Street and as the vehicles approached the intersection both drivers failed to stop, which resulted in the front of PPP 3751 colliding with the right side of PPP 9843, causing the latter to spin around and hit Mangal, who was proceeding east along the northern side of Middle Street.
As a result of the impact, Mangal was knocked off his motorcycle and received head and other injuries. As one can imagine, the family was immediately thrown into deep mourning and I can remember speaking to Diandra sometime after the accident and she related that the loss was one that was not just unfair but it showed how careless some drivers were when utilising the road. She said that her father was there obeying the traffic rules, but because of the carelessness of both drivers he was the one who lost his life while the other two escaped unhurt.
She said that her father’s daily routine included leaving their Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara home early in the morning and heading to the National Park where he would jog a few laps in the company of his favourite bird and after that he would take the bird for a ride around town, as most bird lovers do. He would then go to his business place where he would spend most of the day.
The widow is still not ready to talk about how it has been for her since losing her husband.
Diandra tells me that her mother has been the rock she is and for her she is continuing down the path her father envisioned for her. When I asked her what she misses the most about him she told that apart from his presence, she misses his personality, wicked sense of humour and the calmness he exuded.
Nothing or no one can fill the void that the Mangal family has in their lives all because of the carelessness on the road, therefore they are calling for more sensible use of the roadways. Look out for those not looking out for themselves.(Times Sunday Magazine)
