Highway collision victims flown overseas for treatment

Ralph Hemsingh, one of the drivers involved in the collision along the Linden Highway on Sunday, has been flown out of the country for medical treatment.

Hemsingh, a German national working here, was flown out late Sunday night. His daughter, who was sitting in a baby seat of his Land Rover when the accident occurred, was also flown out around midday yesterday.

Meanwhile, Jermaine Langevine, the other driver involved in the head-on collision, yesterday said he did not remember any details before he woke up in a hospital bed. Langevine, who was driving a Toyota Tundra which collided with Hemsingh’s Land Rover, is recovering in the Male Surgical Ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

On Sunday, when Langevine was rushed to the hospital, he was slipping in and out of consciousness. He sustained a fractured right leg and lacerations to his forehead.

The collision occurred around 10 am on Sunday in the vicinity of Yarrowcabra on the Linden /Soesdyke Highway. Langevine was heading in the direction of Georgetown, while NAMILCO operations manager Hemsingh was travelling to a farm along the highway. It was raining at the time of the accident. Hemsingh’s legs were reportedly fractured and he also received a few cuts to the head while his hip was said to be dislocated. His daughter suffered cuts and bruises to the face.

According to Adrian Green, 30, of Shirley Field Ridley Square, who was behind the toddler in the Land Rover, Hemsingh had pulled over when they reached what he said was the top of a hill on the Highway. Green speculated that Hemsingh may have observed the oncoming pick-up which was reportedly speeding.

According to Green, Hemsingh always drove with caution when his daughter was in the vehicle. He added that he did not notice anything amiss before the collision. Green, who sustained a broken left leg as well as other injuries, was subsequently taken to a private hospital.

He has been discharged and is now recovering at home. He told this newspaper that he was doing okay. Green is a construction worker who was going to assist Hemsingh at the farm on the highway.

Fawn Kendall, 26, also sustained head injuries and cuts to various parts of her body including her shoulders.

An eyewitness had told Stabroek News that water along the sides of the roadway contributed to the accident. He related that the pick-up “suddenly start sway after it reach in the water.” Another eyewitness added that the pick-up had swerved into the opposite lane and “climb up on the other vehicle.”