A prominent New Amsterdam doctor died in a road accident Sunday evening, shortly after witnessing a game of cricket, his favourite pastime. Dr Physal Sattar, 69, of LFS Burnham Street, died at the New Amsterdam Hospital shortly after colliding with a truck on the Number 11 Farm Village Public Road. He was on his way home after attending the cricket match between Berbice and Demerara earlier at the Albion Sports Complex.
Reports are that Sattar attempted to overtake a truck in his car, but instead drove straight under the larger vehicle.
The truck driver, Modhakai Ramsundar, 35, was admitted to the same medical institution after sustaining injuries to the chest. His father, Edwin, said he called him shortly after 19: 30h saying that he was involved in an accident.
Noise
“He told me that he was driving when he heard a noise at the back and the impact caused him to hit the steering wheel. He say that he clutch in and allow the truck to roll and stop,” said the truck driver’s father.
Witnesses say that they heard the impact and ran to assist the drivers. Sattar’s car was in the centre of the road, while the truck was a few metres off the road shoulder.
“We had to push the truck to get it in the corner,” one resident, Kushnarine Deonarine said.
He explained that Dr Sattar was removed from his mangled vehicle after several attempts to get the driver’s door open. “When we get him out, we put him to lie down on the road. He did talking. When I hold up he head, plenty blood running, the skull open and the brains showing,” he said.
Deonarine said it took them more than 30 minutes to find transportation to take the injured doctor to the hospital. “Nobody ent wan carry him. They say the blood would nasty the car. But nobody ent know that is a doctor,” he added.
Dr Sattar was placed in the tray of a pickup and taken to the hospital where doctors tried desperately to save their colleague’s life.
Deep loss
An autopsy performed on the body by government pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan revealed that Dr Sattar died as a result of loss of blood ( haemorrhage) due to grave injuries – several ribs were broken and there was extensive damage to the brain.
Dr Sattar had been practising medicine in New Amsterdam for the past 42 years. He leaves to mourn his wife of 40 years and four children.
Region Six Chairman David Armogan said the loss will be felt by the entire Berbice community. “Every time you call on him to do community work and medical outreaches, he would readily make himself available. So it is a great loss to the community and I think that the medical community would have also lost a great colleague,” he said.
Friends of the doctor said they were surprised to learn that he was driving at night, since that was an unusual occurrence.
Police are investigating the accident.
