An 18-year-old resident of Hofwerk, Berbice River was severely chopped on his back and left hand over one month ago and is afraid that he would not be able to use his hand again.
The youth, Deon Denhart, who took about eight and a half hours to get to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was finally able to receive treatment, is still a patient at the institution.
He said three weeks after the incident the wounds became infected and he was suffering from severe pain and fever and was unable to eat and talk.
He said he was then taken to theatre where surgery was performed for about six hours where the doctors “tried to save the hand and knit back the bone.”
His hand was then placed in a cast and even though the cast was removed three weeks later the youth is still not well enough to be discharged. He is unable to move his fingers.
His alleged attacker, Vivian Walker, 26, of Sand Hills, Berbice River who was wanted by the police turned himself in one week later to the village captain. He was taken to the Central Police Station, NA and was charged with felonious wounding.
Magistrate Chandra Sohan granted bail in the sum of $100,000 but that amount was reduced to $50,000 at another hearing.
Recounting how the incident occurred, Denhart who is engaged in farming with his father said that the attacker had stolen a belt and pants belonging to him and he confronted him and retrieved the items. He said he told the attacker about it and he in turn punched him.
At that stage, Denhart said he lashed the attacker six times with the belt and the man reportedly threatened him that “ah gon catch you at the crossing.”
As Denhart was walking along a lonely road around 6 pm he felt a chop on his back and when he turned around “ah saw the blade coming towards me and ah bar with me hand.”
With his hand, almost severed and barely clinging on to the skin while bleeding profusely, the teen started to run for his life.
He said he came close to two shops and instead of going in to seek help he ran past them in his state of agony. He said a piece of wood was across the road from one of the shops and he stumbled and fell.
He said he was “hollering but the shop was playing music so the people couldn’t hear me.” He got up a few times and tried to run back to the shop but kept falling every time and he urged himself, “Deon, don’t give up so easy, you is a young boy…”
Eventually he was able to make it into the shop where persons saw him covered in blood and assisted him. They also contacted the village captain who took him with an “engine boat” to the medex at De Veldt “but she was unable to do anything to stop the bleeding.”
They then continued their journey to NA and when they got to the wharf the captain went to get the police and they accompanied Denhart to the hospital.
His mother Lynette Denhart told Stabroek News “my son nearly died. He chopped him and left him like that…” She said since the incident they have already spent over $600,000 on transportation, drugs and food.
“It hard on me to stay in New Amsterdam but I have to visit my son three times per day…,” she said.
