Man killed in Sunday crash identified as Moruca farmer

-had been pinned under bus

The man who was killed in Sunday’s New Hope, East Bank Demerara accident was yesterday identified as Cornel Ferreira, a 26-year-old farmer of Moruca, North West District.

Cornel Ferreira

The positive identification was made at the Lyken’s Funeral home yesterday morning by a close relative who had read of the incident in the newspapers.

The man’s grief-stricken brother, Angelo recounted to Stabroek News that at the time of the accident, Ferreira was travelling to a relative’s home in Prashad Nagar, having earlier visited him at his Kuru Kuru, Linden/Soesdyke Highway home.

Angelo said that he later learnt that his brother did not reach his destination and he became worried. He added that their father was returning to the North West the following day (Monday) and Ferreira was to travel with him.

Angelo said that his father travelled alone but kept in touch with them. Yesterday his sister informed him of the death.

Meanwhile, a man who was on the scene of the accident said that from all appearances Ferreira was pitched out of the bus which eventually landed on him.

He said that about 13 persons were removed from the minibus which had careened into the trench and were taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

He said that after the police left the scene a man decided to go looking for valuables. The man returned minutes later and said that he felt a body in the trench and persons on the scene urged him to pull the body out. The man however expressed fear of doing this.

The police were recalled to the scene, the man said and the body was found pinned under the bus.

Police had said in a press release that the accident occurred around 5:50 pm when the driver of minibus BLL 2836, “overtook a line of vehicles travelling north along the roadway and in doing so was confronted by vehicles proceeding in the opposite direction”. The driver then attempted to go back into the lane of traffic but collided with a car and lost control of the vehicle which ended up in the trench.

Police are continuing investigations into the accident.