Atlantic Ville accident claims one life

– sister of dead man says rogue car caused crash
Twenty-five-year-old Rodwyn Todd succumbed to his injuries late Monday evening following an accident which had left him and several other individuals hospitalised.

The accident occurred around 6.45 pm on Monday in the vicinity of Atlantic Ville, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Up to press time on Monday evening, Todd’s condition had been stated as critical and he was being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Todd was the conductor of the bus which allegedly clipped a Toyota NZE car as it was attempting to pass it on the wrong side. Also injured were Natasha Chance, 34, of Ogle, ECD, Genevieve Carberry, 56, of Plantain Walk, Beterverwagting, ECD; Prudence Thornhill, 19, of Vryheid’s Lust, ECD; Wishenna Charles, 77, of Triumph, ECD and Adiyan Corbin, 21, of Triumph, ECD.

Police investigations revealed that motor car PLL 8410 was proceeding along the southern carriageway with minibus BKK 1776 behind. It was alleged that the driver of the minibus attempted to overtake the car and collided with the right side of the car. As a result, the driver of the minibus lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the median of the road, causing the vehicle to topple several times.

However, Shoundel Todd, the deceased’s sister, claims that eyewitness accounts contradict this version of what happened. She stated that passengers of the bus related to her that it was another motorcar which was bobbing and weaving through the traffic.

According to her account, when the driver of the bus, 27-year-old Marcus Jacobs, attempted to overtake the car he was unable to do so and he yelled expletives at the driver of the car. She said the witnesses related that at this point the car slowed down, driving parallel to the bus, and the driver “slammed” his car into the bus, which caused Jacobs to lose control and hit motorcar PLL 8410 before toppling several times.

She stated that when she visited the police station she was told that the Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) which was mounted on the traffic light at Turkeyen may have captured the licence plate of the rogue car. However, this was dependent on whether or not the camera was operating at the time. She said she was told that she would need to consult the Ministry of Home Affairs to get this information.

When Stabroek News visited Todd’s family, they were hovering around the television, waiting for his death announcement to be aired. An emotional Shoundel shared that today is their mother’s birthday as well as her wedding anniversary. She stated that Todd who had been a conductor “on and off” for the past ten years, was planning to “go back into the bush” after the Christmas season.

The drivers of minibus BKK 1776 and motor car PLL 8410 are both still in police custody assisting with investigations.
Rodwyn Todd also leaves to mourn a 15-month-old baby and the mother of his child.