Relatives of woman who died in army car accident want justice

Relatives of Mahaiswerie Shiwcharran, who passed away at the Georgetown Public Hospital on April 28 following an accident earlier in the month, are calling on the authorities to ensure that justice prevails.

Mahaiswerie Shiwcharran
Mahaiswerie Shiwcharran

The 41-year-old woman was reportedly crossing the East Bank Demerara Public Road at McDoom on the evening of April 8, when she was struck down by an army vehicle, DFB 1482, on the eastern side of the roadway close to the SOL Service Station. The car was travelling in a southerly direction at the time. She was picked up and rushed to the hospital where she remained unconscious until her death. The woman sustained injuries to her head and other parts of her body and she was on life support until she died, her relatives related.

Speaking to this newspaper at his Lot 14 Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara home, the woman’s husband, Cecil Shiwcharran said that the army has “not been saying much” since the accident. He said he was informed that the car was being driven by an army officer who was taking a Coast Guard official to his East Bank Demerara home. The man said the official was in touch with him shortly after the accident but he was not told whether the family would be compensated or if the driver of the vehicle would be charged.

The man said his wife was a kind person who was centrally involved in church-related activities. He mentioned the latter since, according to him, hospital sources told his relatives that the victim had alcohol in her system when she was admitted to the medical institution. Shiwcharran disputed this. He said his wife, who was a mother of six, had left her place of employment, Pritipaul Singh Investments located opposite the scene of the accident, minutes before she was struck down. He said this was corroborated when he went to her workplace recently to uplift her last pay cheque and made enquiries regarding the time she left work that evening.

Shiwcharran said he was informed by an eyewitness that his wife had already crossed the western carriageway of the Public Road and was almost halfway over the other side of the roadway when she was struck down.

Stabroek News  visited the scene of the accident  last week and spoke to an eyewitness  who recalled that some time after 8 pm that day, a number of women employed by the “fisheries”’  were crossing the busy roadway close to the gas station. The individual said she was standing in front of the gas station when she noticed Shiwcharran crossing the roadway. She said the woman was halfway across the eastern carriageway of the road, standing on a white broken line, when a dark coloured car, with its headlamps off, hit the woman off her feet. She said the woman’s head hit the windscreen of the car and she pitched into the air, landing near the pavement in front of the gas station. The eyewitness recalled that when the car stopped, the driver, along with a man who was occupying the front passenger seat and a woman exited “holding their heads”. The individual said persons rushed to the victim’s assistance, throwing a bucket of water on her in the process. She said the driver was instructed to take the woman to the hospital since she was still breathing. The eyewitness said persons at the scene asked the occupants of the car if they were “drunk” since they smelled alcohol on their breath while they were talking. The individual said the registration of the vehicle, DFB 1482, which was displayed to this newspaper, was stored in a mobile phone.

Stabroek News spoke to the Coast Guard official who related that he was on his way home that evening when the incident occurred. He said the car, which was assigned to him, was travelling along the eastern carriageway and the road was busy at the time. The officer said the driver of the car, a corporal, noticed the victim attempting to cross the road, while the driver of another car which was travelling along the western carriageway tooted his horn at the woman. However in a split-second the woman was struck down. She was picked up and taken to the hospital, accompanied by one of her workmates. He said the victim was unidentified until the following day and her medical bills were taken care of by the army.

According to the officer, the matter is being investigated by the police following which a report will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.