Parmanand Dass, one of the victims of the four-vehicle East Coast crash on Saturday night, succumbed to his injuries yesterday afternoon in the presence of relatives and friends at the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).

Parmanand Dass

Relatives sobbed loudly after they watched the man die. Dass’s son who was inconsolable kept saying that his father worked very hard to ensure that his family was comfortable. When this newspaper visited Dass minutes before he died, relatives still hoped that he would recover fully even though he was said to be in a serious condition.

He was initially admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the GPH in a critical condition, but had been subsequently transferred to the HDU. His wife, Liloutie Dass who was also involved in the accident and was admitted a patient of the female surgical ward of the GPH was moved to tears as relatives informed her of her husband’s death.

Relatives kept rushing back and forth between Dass and his wife in disbelief.
When Stabroek News visited Liloutie Dass, she managed to say that she was recovering and feeling much better. “But look wah jus happen to meh husband! He dead,” she cried.

The woman sustained a broken right foot as well as several cuts and bruises to her body including to her head and shoulders.
Her daughter had told this newspaper in an earlier interview that her parents were returning from Berbice, where they had gone to conduct business, when the accident occurred. Another relative had told this newspaper that Parmanand sustained severe injuries to the right side of his abdomen.

According to reports, the accident which involved a truck, two buses and a car, occurred when the driver of the truck, who was reportedly under the influence of alcohol, slammed into the back of a route 44 Victoria-bound minibus, proceeding east along the East Coast public road.

The minibus, which had some 11 passengers, had reportedly slowed down to pick up another. Parmanand Dass’s relatives had told this newspaper after the accident that the man and his wife, who were in the other bus and were headed in the direction of the city, had slowed down after they saw the truck hit the back of the Route 44 minibus.

A hospital source told Stabroek News that the Dasses had sustained the worst of the accident as their vehicle had been hit head-on by the truck.
A few other persons were taken to the public hospital on Saturday afternoon following the accident.

Breathalyzer
Meanwhile, it is unclear whether the driver of the truck which caused the accident has been charged in relation to the accident as concerns remain about the use of the breathalyzer test following President Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent assenting to the DUI legislation. An officer at the Cove and John Police station told this newspaper yesterday that the driver was held and when questioned further on whether he has been charged, the officer said he could not comment on the matter any further.
When this newspaper contacted the police traffic department yesterday, an officer informed that the department is awaiting the go-ahead from the Home Affairs Minister to put the test into practice. He said a public education process is underway in the meantime.

Persons close to the scene of the accident reported that the driver was intoxicated at the time and he was reportedly seen throwing away a few empty bottles of beer at the scene.

According to the new law, if an accident occurs on the road as a result of the driver of a vehicle, the police will be vested with the authority to order the driver/s to submit to a breathalyzer test either at the scene of the accident or at a nearby police station. The law provides for 35 microgrammes of alcohol to 100 milliliters of breath and 80 milligrammes of alcohol to 100 milliliters of blood. The law also stipulates that in the event of an accident, a person in hospital may only submit to a breathalyzer test in the event of certain circumstances, except where a registered physician deems that it would be prejudicial to the proper care and treatment of the person.

The use of the breathalyzer test has been in the making for some time now and its recent implementation was welcomed by a number of groups including the Alicia Foundation, Mothers in Black as well as the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana. (Additional reporting by Alva Solomon)