Boy dies after hit by two buses

A 59-year-old security guard and a 13-year-old boy were yesterday killed in separate vehicular accidents and the drivers of the vehicles are in police custody.

Andre Robertson of Lot 1602 Cadet Street, South Ruimveldt and a second form student at the St. Mary’s Secondary School was hit by a Route 41 mini-bus and then struck by a Route 45 mini-bus around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. He died several hours later at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Akeem Wilson who witnessed the accident told Stabroek News last evening that he would usually meet Robinson by the High Court every afternoon and then they would walk together to the south bus park and board a bus for home.

He recounted that he and a friend were on South Road in front of the High Court when he saw Robertson in front of a travel agency on Croal Street and called out to him.

According to Wilson, Robertson wanted to cross the road to get to him so he remained on that side of the road until the traffic stopped and the green man on the traffic light a short distance away appeared.

On seeing the green man, Wilson said that his friend crossed the first lane of the road but a Route 41 minibus trying to beat the traffic light hit him. Wilson said that a Route 45 mini-bus bearing the name `Shakers’ coming in the opposite direction knocked him into the other mini-bus.

“Is twice he get knock and he fall down on the ground and people start to run”, Wilson said.

Police officers from the High Court, he said, put the injured Wilson in a car. Stabroek News was told that when he arrived at the Georgetown Hospital he was in an unconscious state and was bleeding internally. He sustained injuries to his head and other parts of his body.

After receiving some treatment he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and placed on life support but died several hours later.

This newspaper was also informed that at the accident scene the driver of the Route 45 minibus offloaded his passengers, came out looked at the lights at the front of the bus, filled the bus again and drove off.

The police saved the driver of the other bus from a thrashing from members of the crowd and was taken into custody.

Robinson is the eldest of four children and also leaves behind is parents Paulette Wiggins and Collin Robertson and many relatives and friends.

Meanwhile Mohamed Latiff of Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Hospital after being hit by a speeding 4×4 vehicle near Conversation Tree.

Relatives told Stabroek News last evening that Latiff was on his way to his workplace at Bel Air Springs. He had just disembarked a mini-bus on the Rupert Craig Highway and crossed both sides of the road, when a vehicle overtaking another hit him.

According to the dead man’s relatives, he was hit in the corner and had already crossed both roads.

The incident occurred around 6:45 pm and he died from massive head injuries.

His wife Bibi was in tears when this newspaper saw her last evening. She said her husband had been employed as a security guard for years now and she would usually call him several times during the course of the night. She said that she decided to call him to see if he has arrived at work but a strange voice answered the phone. It was then she was informed that her husband was involved in an accident.

Bibi said that she did not think the accident was serious and was under the impression that he was just injured and was hospitalized. She said she packed some clothing for him and headed to the Georgetown Hospital.

However she was met with the distressing news when she went to the medical institution.

She said that before he left home he was laughing a lot and was very jolly and as he was leaving he waved to her numerous times.

She described him as a good, good man, stressing that nobody would ever give a complaint about him.

This is the third accident that he had been involved in.

Latiff is survived by his wife and five children.

This newspaper was told that the driver and the vehicle are in police custody.