Friends to the very end; Satyanand Singh, called Sachin, and Wajeed Shaw died together early yesterday morning when the car they were in smashed into a concrete culvert at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
According to a police press release, about 12.15 am yesterday Singh was driving his motor car PJJ 8627 along the Prospect, East Bank Public Road, with Shaw in the passenger seat, when it is alleged that he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a concrete culvert. As a result of the impact, the release said, the vehicle caught afire and the two occupants were trapped inside resulting in their deaths.
A view of the scorched remains of the car
When this newspaper visited the homes of Singh and Shaw yesterday afternoon both families were still in shock from the tragedy. Shaw’s younger brother said that they had learnt of the accident when a reporter showed up at their doorstep.
Singh’s mother told this newspaper that she was at home when she got the news and rushed over to see if it was true.
Satyanand Singh
[/caption]The woman said that her son was wearing a gold band and chain together worth about $420,000 and she did not see it on his body. She further explained that she went to the funeral home but they refused to let her see the body.
During the last journey of their lives, the car driven by Singh crashed into the rail of the concrete culvert at Little Diamond smashing a section of it to pieces. After colliding with the rail the car came to a halt on the road facing west. Up to 6 am yesterday morning the gear box and other parts of the car were still strewn on the road.
When Stabroek News visited the scene of the accident later yesterday morning the charred, smashed shell of the car had been moved to the side of the road. There was a noticeable blackened area on the road where the vehicle had been while ablaze.
“I saw a …hand hanging out the driver door window and then I hear a hoarse voice saying “Help, help me” but I couldn’t do nothing because of the fire,” Vijai, a resident of the area, said.
Vijai lives on the East Bank Public Road just in front the area where the accident occurred. He explained that it was approximately 12.30 am when he was awakened by “a loud noise” and rushed to his front door to see what happened.
The man said that the first thing he saw was that the car was on fire and he immediately rushed out to help but could do nothing because of the fire that was already beginning to engulf the vehicle. Vijai said that he was standing in his yard, approximately 25 feet away from the car, and could feel the intense heat from the blaze.
“I didn’t know a vehicle could burn that fast,” Vijai’s sister-in-law told this newspaper.
The woman said that within the 30 minutes it took the fire service to arrive at the scene the vehicle had been totally consumed by flames.
Vijai said that both Singh and Shaw were pinned inside the vehicle. According to him and another resident, Shaw was already dead. His lifeless body, they said, could be seen slumped forward in the passenger’s seat. Singh, they recounted, was trying to open the car door but couldn’t.
The blaze was so intense that residents living off the main road saw the flames and thought a house was on fire.
One man said that while the car did not explode, at intervals “pops” could be heard as the vehicle burnt.
Residents said that if the heat was not so intense and Singh’s leg was not pinned in the vehicle then they might have been able to save him. In a vain effort to douse the fire residents had formed a bucket brigade. The firemen arriving shortly after 1 am managed to extinguish the flames.
It was the sight of a charred vehicle with the remains of her son inside that met Singh’s mother and other family members when they arrived at the scene of the accident. Vijai said the woman asked him repeatedly: “Y’all couldn’t save meh son? None ah y’all couldn’t save meh son?”
“It hurt me to know that I couldn’t help he,” Vijai said. He further explained that after the flames engulfed the vehicle and Singh was no longer visible some residents walked away because they could not bear the sight. The man said that Singh was burnt to death.
This newspaper was told that the particular culvert was narrow and many accidents occurred in that area. Residents said that the accident which killed the men was one of four which occurred between Monday and yesterday morning.
According to them, on Monday there were two accidents prior to the fatal smash-up and one afterwards. They said that after the flames had been doused from Singh’s car another vehicle speeding along the same stretch of road, smashed into the burnt-out car and sent it spinning across the road.
It was further observed that two men were in this vehicle and they both appeared to be drunk.
The driver of this vehicle subsequently escaped but the passenger is still in police custody.
The culvert is located just after the last street in Prospect and at the beginning of Little Diamond. Residents from both areas pointed out that the area has poor lighting and the one street light closest to the culvert is not working. One man, who is also a driver, pointed out that the culvert area is so narrow that two vehicles cannot pass there simultaneously.
It is so sad for me when i read the news this morning I KNOW BOTH OF THESE GUYS FROM MY BROTHER’S BARBER SHOP >i give my condolences to both families and the entire luxury cut barber shop crew.
How many times people have to tell folks not to drink and drive.
the two dont go together.
I am sadden when i read about young people loosing their precious lives to alcohol and driving.
My deepest sympathy to both families
so, sad,sad . People stop DRINKING RUM it is not helping . do’t DRIVE SO FAST . YOU guys need to be more CAUTION with LIFE .
WHAT A WAY TO DIE MY SYMPATHY GOES OUT TO THE GRIEVING FAMILY,
THESE YOUNG MEN IN GUYANA ARE RACING
THEIR LITTLE CARS AROUND THOSE SMALL ROADS NOT KNOWING WHEN TO SLOW DOWN FOR A TURN OR BRIDGE ALSO ALCOHOL DONT HELP, SO
YOUTHS OF GUYANA DONT TRY TO BE EVIL KNIVEL IT DONT WORTH IT
HI TORBO, NOT ONLY YOUTHS DO DRINK & DRIVE, OLDER FOLKS TOO. SHOULD BE PPL DONT DRINK & DRIVE.
Nothing much changes in Guyana. The new legislation on DUI will not change one iota to the drivers. Two beers is the hallmark. What a crock!!!
If you allow for two, people will argue, well two beers can not intoxicate me and the argument will go on.
Drinking and driving seem to bee acceptable. Unless there is zero tolerance and people’s attitude change, the recklessness will go on.
Sad end to two young lives.My condolences to the family.Some use these escapades to boast about their drinkinng prowess and their ability to drive.Youthful bravado is no match for commonsense.I hope others have learnt a life saving lesson from this tragedy.
We must give thanks to God that innocent pedestrians were not killed
Any loss of life is a loss to humanity.
I SECOND THIS
What’s the difference if they’re pedestrians drivers or passengers Bekeley Van Bowen it’s still a loss of lives.
SORRY TAHT THEY HAD TO LOOSE THEIR LIVES LIKE THAT.
THE DEPT. OF PULIC WORKS NEED TO PUT STREET LIGHTS THERE IF IT IS WAS WAS STATED AS POORLY LIT, DRIVERS NEED TO SLOW DOWN WHEN TAKING TURN… EVEN IF U R RACING U HAVE TO SLOW DOWN SLOW DOWN AT TURNS,
U DRINK & DRIVE U LOOSE. THANK GOODNESS NO PEDESTRAINS WERE KILLED BECAUSE OF THESE U YOU, RECKLESS DRIVERS. TOO BAD IT HAD TO END THIS WAY. I DONT KNOW IF THERE ARE POSTED SIGNS WARNING DRIVERS OF THE DANGEROUS TURN BUT IF TERE ARE NONE, THEN POSTED SIGNS WITH REFLECTORS SHOULD BE THERE WARNING DRIVERS THAT DANGEROUS TURN IS AHEAD. SINCE IT IS POORLY LIT, REFLECTORS NEED TO BE POSTED SO THA TAY LITTLE LIGHT WOULD LIGHTUP THE SIGNS.
MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE & CONDOLENCE TO BOTH FAMILIES. THEY ARE DEAD & GONE BUT IS THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE TO COPE WITH THEIR TRAGEDY.
FRIENDS DONT LET FRIENDS DRINK & DRIVE.
THAT’S Y I DONT DRINK WHEN WE GO TO PARTY OR FUNCTIONS. MY HUSBAND DOES THE DRINKING & I DO THE DRIVING ALL FOR THE SAKE OF SAVING OUR LIVES & OTHERS.
Too many innocent people die in this country by drunk/speeding drivers. The government need to address this issue asap.
y u people keep blameing the Govt., oh common, u all need to stop saying that the Govt. should do dis and that ,is the Govt. responsible for drinking and driving?is one ’s Choice and they should not speed much less drink,i drive but not as far as those Driver we have in Guyana,Esp those youngster that comming up,I am not living in Guyana at the moment,but i do drive,the other day gone i had a ticket for Driving slow cant u belive it? So Drinking and Speeding is one’s choice weather no Sign or Reflecter Lite,they all going end up the same , So Please People a u all STOP blame the Govt.
Let the individuals address this problem dead or alive. The Gov’t has already done its part.
ALLiR, u should addresss u self First b4 talking or making any sort of Comment ,Stop Blameing the Govt. Street Lite,Sign,Reflecter Lite Etc. none a dis can stop Ones from Drinking and Driving,u should a do some things about dis then y dont u go to Guyana and voice your Opinion,u r going to mek u self a Big ASS…so stop Blameing the Govt. and think over b4 u post another comment ok
My sympathy goes to those family,may god be wid u
When I got the call about this accident I almost got a heart attack. It’s so hard to believe this would happen to my family. Both guys just 22, I am just a few months older than them
Sachin and Wajeed were good friends, they both were 2 promising young men who had good things going for them.
Youth’s plz stop drink and drive if you drink call someone to take you home plz I don’t want any family to go through what we are going through rite now.
To my cuz: SACHIN R.I.P king…… Wajeed same to you king
May the almighty be with you guys while you take your journey to the other side of life…….
I hope the government can do something about the light situation or even the private sector can donate a solar sign to warn about the area slow down.
Paul skb.
Fact is Guyana has no (soi-disant) “car culture”. Many Guyanese grew up without a car in the household; we did not see our fathers/mothers or grandparents drive. We were not in the front seat so we do not have the benefit of that experience. So we must proceed slowly. First-time drivers must receive thorough training and be rigorously tested. THEN, and only then, should permission be given to drive. And, as we like to imitate the North so much, why can’t we follow the don’t-drink-and-drive rule?
Drinking and driving is never a good thing. I’m happy to read that innocent bystander were not hurt or killed.