A police officer in training is now dead after his motorcycle slammed head on into a speeding car early yesterday morning. Dead is Jermaine Harlequin, 21, of Lot 8 Phoenix Park, West Bank Demerara, while his pillion rider, Tiffany Thomas, 18, of Good Intent was injured.
“We were coming from a birthday party from Crane around 2.30am and it was a group of us. Some were riding and another were driving but he [Jermaine Harlequin] was in front of us riding,” one of Harlequin’s friends told Stabroek News yesterday. He explained that Harlequin was turning into the Phoenix Park tarmac when a speeding car, PKK 2237, heading north, swung into the parking lot.
“The car was driving so fast and swing in the turn so fast that he couldn’t have done anything. He tried to move but he just slammed into the vehicle,” he said. The friend related how the motorcycle slammed into the left side of the vehicle and Harlequin was thrown several feet in the air landing face first on the tarmac.
Harlequin and Thomas were subsequently rushed to the West Demerara Hospital along with the driver of the car and a female passenger.
Harlequin was pronounced dead on arrival while Thomas was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. The driver of the vehicle and his passenger received medical treatment and were subsequently discharged.
Harlequin’s grieving mother Samantha McPherson told Stabroek News yesterday, “I went to a wedding and then I get a call saying your son was in an accident but I didn’t take it as anything serious. I thought it was minor but then I get another call saying that he died and I just couldn’t believe it.” She said that she had pleaded with her son not to purchase a motorcycle because of how dangerous it was but he went ahead and got it. “I kept telling he not to buy it and he did and then I tell he to ease up riding on it ʼcause I know how dangerous they are. He finally said he would put it up sometime and save money to buy a car, and look at what happened now,” McPherson said as she broke down in tears.
Thomas was later discharged from GPHC and the driver of the car is currently in police custody assisting with investigations.
