An 18-year-old girl died on the spot after the speeding bus she and her family were travelling in hit a rail and ran into a nearby trench at Plantation Hope, East Coast Demerara, some time after 12 am yesterday.
Padma Narine of Phase Two, Hope, was pulled from the bus dead by members of her family.
Richard Singh, 20, who is a cousin to the family, is listed as critical while he remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) since he sustained a fractured skull. Her mother; Devika Narine, 33, father; Rajendra Narine, 46, and siblings Lakhram Narine, 17; Dhanmattie Narine, 13; Vishal Narine, 10 and Munesh Narine, 6 escaped with minor injuries and were treated at the GPH and sent away.
The driver of the bus and his family managed to escape unhurt.
Devika Narine said she and her family were returning from Coldigen in the bus when the accident occurred. She said the driver is a neighbour who they would normally travel with but he was driving over 100 mph yesterday.
The grieving woman said that she, her husband and the driver’s wife asked him to slow down earlier in the journey since he was driving at a fast rate. He however ignored their pleas and as they approached the Hope Koker turn he lost control of the vehicle, hit the rails on the turn, and ran into the nearby trench.
The woman said “Me see de pickney dem pitch out de bus… then me feel wan drizzle and then me no ah in de trench me deh.’’
The woman said as she and her family got out of the bus, she realized her daughter was missing. “By time dah she de done dead she been pan a rail and she one hand cut out.” An ambulance then came and took the injured persons to the hospital.
At the teen’s home yesterday, relatives gathered to sympathize with the family while some attended to the injured children who had bruises.
The girl’s father said that she was expected to get married soon and that he was working very hard to ensure his daughter had a nice wedding.
The driver of the bus is in custody at the Cove and John Police Station assisting with investigations.
