A driver escaped without serious injury after the Canter truck he was driving suffered a tyre ‘blow out’ and ended up in the canal at Number 19 Village. The accident occurred shortly after 05:00hrs on Saturday, when the rear left side double wheels ‘blew out’, minutes after the truck had crossed the recently opened  Berbice River Bridge .

The Canter truck at the corner of the canal after it careened off the roadway at Number 19 Village in Berbice.

According to an eyewitness, who was driving behind the ill-fated vehicle when tragedy stuck, but who spoke on condition of anonymity, the driver ahead was proceeding at a normal rate of speed along the Lewis Manor Public Road , also known  as the Number 19 roadway, when there was an explosion. The vehicle began swerving on the road and eventually plunged into the canal which had a low water level.

The driver and three other persons were rushed to the hospital where they were treated for minor injuries. In the meanwhile residents of the community kept watch over the vehicle and its contents that had spilled along the road shoulder.

The vehicle was completely destroyed.

Meanwhile, traffic ranks at Central Police Station in New Amsterdam said  the accident was not reported.