The truck driver involved in the Mahaica crash that claimed six lives on Saturday admitted that he was drunk at the time and was yesterday remanded to prison pending sentencing.
Sheik Sattaur of Mahaicony, appeared before Magistrate Haywant Ramdhani at the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He admitted that on November 21 at Strangroen, Mahaica, he drove his motor lorry while under the influence of alcohol.
The bus that the six persons were in was heading to Berbice at the time and the vehicle slammed into the rear of the truck. Reports are that the truck had no lights on at the time of the collision and had stopped abruptly, resulting in the smash up.
Those who died in the accident were Gary McAlmont of Number 28 Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB); Mary Blair of Hope Village, WCB; Patrina Munroe of Plantation Ross, WCB; Troyland Douglas of Weldaad, WCB and Cynique Fraser of Lovely Lass, WCB. One of the injured, Joshua Johnson, of Number Four Village, West Coast Berbice died the next morning. Several other passengers had been hospitalised as a result of the accident.
Sattaur was remanded to police custody and will be sentenced today.
