An early New Year’s morning vehicular incident at Cemetery Road has left one person dead and two others injured with agitated residents claiming that the driver was drunk, speeding and failed to render assistance as he allegedly ran away.
Dead is 61-year-old George Barker also known as ‘Baker’ of 41 Freeman Street, East La Penitence. Injured are 62-year-old Brian Devine of 63 Cocorite Street, East La Penitence and Anaynasa Thorne, 18.
Devine is nursing broken legs, broken ribs, a broken hip, a fractured neck, head injuries and a damaged eye. Thorne’s condition and whereabouts are unknown.
According to residents, the incident took place sometime between 5.30 am and 6.15 am on the western carriageway of Cemetery Road, in the vicinity of the Liana Nursery School where Barker would usually make his daily routine run to pick up newspapers.
The police stated in a press release that their investigations revealed that the driver lost control of the vehicle after sustaining a punctured tyre and is in police custody assisting with the investigation.
However, residents are blaming the driver, saying that he was speeding and under the influence of alcohol, as his car PNN 7977 struck a speed bump, spun multiple times and plunged into the two stalls where the trio were standing, bounced off and ended up in a nearby trench.
Residents further stated that after the impact, the driver fled the scene on foot as public-spirited citizens tried to assist the victims. The driver turned up at the Georgetown Public Hospital sometime after.
When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday, police ranks were seen investigating as a number of residents stood on the opposite side of the road shouting remarks: “He was drunk”, “He ran away” and “Look at the marks on the ground,” and “He was speeding man”.
