Cyclist killed in Turkeyen road accident

A 47-year-old cyclist was killed early on the morning of Wednesday 08th December after he was struck down on the Turkeyen Public Road, East Coast Demerara, (ECD) by a reportedly drunken driver who resides in Canada.

Dead is Suresh Sawh, a machine operator of 136 Fourth Street, Martyrsville, Mon Repos, ECD. The driver has been taken into police custody and is assisting with investigations. Guyana Times International was told that a breathalyser test revealed that the driver had consumed in excess of the legally stipulated amount of alcohol.

In a release, police said they are investigating the accident, which occurred at about 05:10hrs. According to police, investigations have revealed that the driver of motor vehicle PJJ 8098 was allegedly proceeding at a fast pace when he lost control of the vehicle and struck down the pedal cyclist. Sawh was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 

Reports reaching this newspaper indicate that the driver was imbibing at a bar in Montrose, ECD, before the accident. An eyewitness told the dead man’s relatives that there were two persons in the vehicle which struck down Sawh, the driver and a female passenger.

Eyewitnesses related that the woman grabbed her shoes and rushed out of the vehicle, running off. The driver then hid in the back seat. He was reportedly detained by the eyewitness until police arrived. 

Meanwhile, when this newspaper visited the dead man’s home, his wife, Indira, was in severe distress. She related that her husband worked two jobs and would leave his home at around 04:40 hrs for his first job in Bel Air,  where he does gardening, and then head to the Mayor and City Council for his full-time job as a machine operator. 

The distraught woman said that, before he left as per normal on Wednesday morning, her husband had reminded her that his daughter’s birthday was next Wednesday, and he anticipated wishing her a happy birthday. The daughter of the deceased is 27 years old and resides in Saint Martin. Indira also said that her neighbour, a taxi driver, gave her the tragic news at around 6:00hrs that day, after he had seen the man being taken into the Georgetown Public Hospital by police.

The grieving woman further said that her husband had been a pedal cyclist for more than 20 years, and usually rode at a slow pace. She related that her husband was hit extremely hard because his entire right side was mangled, and he had also sustained a large cut in the middle of his head. The man’s fingers were also reportedly crushed.  

“We want the police to take action against this driver!  …We want justice! That is all we asking for…,” the widow cried. The woman described her husband as a hardworking person who was married to his job. “He was so healthy, he had no sickness and would go through the rain to go to work; he never stayed away, and he never wanted to buy a motorbike because he said that woulda kill he fast,” she added.