-traffic badly hit
A weakened portion of a decking plate on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) gave way under the weight of a truck yesterday afternoon, ripping off the rear wheels of the vehicle, which collided with a car and left two persons injured.
The incident, which occurred shortly after 3 pm yesterday, forced the Bridge to be closed to vehicular traffic for about two hours following which one-way traffic was allowed to proceed. Two persons were injured during the incident and were taken to the hospital.
Navin Samaroo, 17, suffered a broken arm after falling off the truck. Mookram Doodnauth, who was in the car also suffered a few injuries and was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The deteriorating state of the bridge, the major link between Regions Four and Three, has been a source of concern for many persons, with President Bharrat Jagdeo recently blasting the state of it. Over $680M has since been approved for works to be done on the structure.
Driver of the truck, Praim Narayan told Stabroek News that he was heading to Parika to catch the 6 pm boat when, as he neared the western end, a portion of the decking plate, gave way under the right wheel of the truck, with the other end of the plate raising up. The upraised end cut the steering mechanisms under the body of the truck, including the brakes. He said that he lost control and as he tried to avoid oncoming vehicles, the truck slid cross-way across the bridge. It was then that the rear wheels snapped off. “The differential pelt out”, Narayan said. Samaroo, who along with Ravindra Mansingh, 18, and Buffy Narayan, were in the tray of the truck, fell off.
At the same time, Khemraj Shiv was heading in the opposite direction in his car. He said that he observed as the oncoming truck swayed from side to side on the bridge. He tried to avoid the imminent collision. “I brakes up and he come straight on top me”, he stated. “I din get a chance to reverse”. Shiv and his wife were in the front seats, while Doodnauth was in the back seat. The Shivs, who were heading to the hospital to visit a neighbor, escaped injury. Doonauth, who was crying out in pain, was taken to the hospital by another motorist.
Narayan said that he had just collected some items from Food for the Poor to take to Essequibo. These included tent poles and “gifts”.
When Stabroek News arrived at the bridge, it had already been closed and traffic was building up as more vehicles arrived to cross over. Many commuters, unwilling to wait, opted to walk to the other side. DHB officials were on hand and after a while a truck, equipped with a mini-crane, was brought to the location and shifted the damaged truck to one side.
By then almost two hours had passed and one lane was then open to traffic while the decking underwent emergency repairs. When this reporter, had walked on the bridge on the way to the scene, it was noticed that many areas of the decking were deteriorating.
Up to last evening, emergency repairs were still ongoing and owing to the limited buses crossing over, many commuters who live on the West Coast Demerara were left stranded.
