Police have detained the driver of a truck that was involved in Thursday afternoon’s horrific accident in Mahaicony that claimed two lives.
A post-mortem examination conducted yesterday morning on the bodies of Nandram Rooplall aka ‘Ray’, 23, and Tejram ‘Mano’ Haimnauth, 23, showed that they died of internal injuries and haemorrhaging of the brain.
Rooplall had been driving the ill fated pick up, PKK 496, while Haimnauth was a passenger. A second passenger, Tejram Haimnauth’s cousin, Omesh Puran Haimnauth, is currently in the Georgetown Public Hospital nursing head injuries and lacerations to his body.
The accident occurred on Thursday evening shortly before 6 pm on the Public Road at Farm, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
According to the lone survivor of the pickup, it was as the result of a speeding truck swerving from a cow and crashing into their vehicle, sending it into a nearby drain. Police said yesterday that the truck driver is in custody assisting with investigations.
When Stabroek News visited Haimnauth’s home at Little Baiboo, Mahaica Creek, ECD, a large crowd of villagers had gathered and were trying to console Tejram’s 17-year-old wife and his parents.
Speaking with this newspaper, the dead man’s mother said he was the second of her three children and was always very close to her. It was for that reason, she said, that after he was married last year, he chose to take his wife to live with his family.
She indicated that on Thursday morning Tejram left for work as per normal.
However, some time after five that afternoon, after realizing that they had not heard from him all day, she decided to call him. She said he told her that because he was working deep in the Mahaicony River, he had been unable to receive a cell signal, but that she would see him before nightfall.
That was not to be. She later received a phone call from her daughter-in-law’s mother informing that Tejram had been in an accident and that they should go to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital to identify his body.
Meanwhile, his weeping widow said that picking up the pieces now would be difficult. She said she and her husband had been dating since she was 14 years old. They married last year. Their union produced a baby girl, Theresa, last November.
The cries of the mother of Rooplall were similar to those of Tejram’s widow. Speaking with this newspaper from her Enmore residence, Gaitree Deonarine, a mother of three, said her son was the eldest. Her other two children are 12 and 13 years old. Rooplall was the sole breadwinner for the family.
“Ray was de big one and he was de man of this house. He used to support this family me tell you. He couldn’t do enough for he buddy and he sissy. He used to bring he whole pay packet and give we and seh ‘ma use am fuh a house’. Now he gone who gun take care a we?” she said mourning aloud while her niece tried to comfort her.
The woman added that she had heard of the accident by way of phone call, but then the person told her it was a joke so she did not bother. However, when she received a phone call from a relative asking for her son’s correct name, she knew that something was amiss and decided to call his cell phone. It was not until after 8 pm that her son’s death was confirmed.
