Sara Johanna man dies after bus race ends in crash

hile speeding along the East Bank Demerara (EBD) Public Road just after midnight yesterday, a minibus driver lost control of his vehicle, slammed into a light pole and toppled into a trench, resulting in the death of a passenger.

Vishan Seeram, 20, of Lot 5 Sara Johanna, EBD, was sitting in the front passenger seat of the minibus. The incident occurred just after a turn in the road, at the border of Pearl and Sara Johanna, a short distance from Seeram’s home.

Vishan Seeram

Steve Persaud, who lives two houses away from the deceased, sustained injuries to the back in the accident. He was treated and released from hospital. The driver, the deceased and Persaud were the only persons in the speeding minibus at the time of the accident.

When Stabroek News visited Seeram’s home yesterday, relatives were lamenting the fact that he died in such tragic circumstances so close to home. They told this newspaper that the minibus, BMM 7833, had been racing with another. The two buses were returning home from a wedding at Timehri.

“Is two buses they does call ‘Black Bullet’ and ‘Silver Bullet,’” a relative told this newspaper. “Well is ‘Black Bullet’ went in the trench.”

As he took the turn at Pearl, relatives said they learnt from the injured Persaud, the minibus driver lost control of the vehicle, slammed into the light pole and toppled into a trench. Seeram, according to them, died before he could be pulled from the trench.

After the incident, one relative said, they saw the driver of BMM 7833 walking away from the scene.

However, later yesterday morning the man went to police and was taken into custody to assist with investigations.

Shamkumary Dubardoss told Stabroek News that her grandson left home some time around 7.30 pm on Monday to attend post-wedding celebrations in Timehri. “Whole weekend he de going to this wedding. He went de Friday, de Saturday, de Sunday and then he went with them whole day de Monday and come home around 6 o’clock to bathe.”

Over the weekend, the woman recalled, her grandson had been returning home around 2am from the wedding celebrations. She said that on Monday she asked him to return home early. “So is coming home he de coming home early and he meet with this accident,” she said.

The incident occurred about four houses away from their place, Dubardoss pointed out, and she was asleep at the time and did not hear anything. It was a neighbour, she said, who woke her up and told her that a bus had slammed into the light pole and that her grandson was in it.

“When I run outside the bus was in the trench but they de already take my grandson out and put he to lie down on the road…he de already dead,” the woman said.

Dubardoss added that the driver of the minibus was initially claiming that her grandson was driving. However, the woman said that persons saw the real driver scrambling from the driver’s seat and it was not until after that her grandson was pulled from the trench, near the passenger side, where he had been pinned. “He was sitting on the side of the bus that hit the post so all of that mek he didn’t mek it,” the distressed woman lamented.

An eyewitness told this newspaper that BMM 7833 was trailing the other minibus, which it was racing. The minibus in front, the man recalled, started slowing down after it had taken the turn at Pearl but BMM 7833 was still speeding.

“Like the front bus realize that they reach the lil boy (Seeram) house and it start slowing up but this other bus behind it didn’t realize they been so close and he de still speeding coming ‘round that turn,” the eyewitness recalled. “He take that turn at a speed and a half and drive all in de grass corner and like he couldn’t ah control the vehicle no more and he end up lashing out the lamp post.

When Stabroek News visited the scene, the tire marks were observed in the corner of the road and started more than 10 yards away from the point of impact. The marks led straight the shattered remains of the light pole.

“Dem men this,” the witness said, “Always speeding down this road and this turn here is not no ordinary turn.”

Meanwhile, at Persaud’s house, relatives said that the man had gone to see a doctor for further treatment. Persaud, they said, was experiencing a lot of pain and could not walk without aid.