A Route 42 minibus driver was yesterday charged with causing the death of a woman due to dangerous driving.
Travis David, 28, of 110 Ceasar Street, Agricola pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on $150,000 bail after he was arraigned in a city court.
According to the charge, on January 6, 2015, on the Little Diamond Public Road, David drove motor vehicle BJJ 9471 in a manner which was dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of Lynette Joseph.
In a bail application for David, attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat told the court the accident happened after another minibus drove in front of David’s path, which forced him off the road and caused him to hit a lamp post, resulting in Joseph hitting her forehead. “Furthermore, three of the passengers are willing to testify that the bus was not speeding at the time of the accident,” he noted, while stating that David boasts seven years of driving experience without a previous accident.
Fung-A-Fat also said David, a married father of two, had no previous convictions.
However the prosecution’s case is that on the day in question, at about 5:45pm, the bus, which operates between Georgetown and Timehri, was proceeding north along the western carriageway of the Little Diamond Public Road. It is alleged that as David was about to negotiate a turn, he lost control and skidded about 26 feet before connecting to a lamp post. Joseph, who was sitting in the third seat behind the driver, subsequently succumbed to injuries she sustained as result of the accident.
There was no objection to bail, which was set at $150,000. Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry further ordered David to report to the officer in charge of the Providence Police Station and surrender his passport there.
David will return to court on February 6 for the filing of statements.
The minibus was said to be transporting eight persons to Georgetown, including the driver and conductor, when the accident occurred.
Joseph, a security guard of National Hardware, died on her way to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. Those injured were Joylyn Barker, of 244 Second Street, Grove, East Bank Demerara, conductor, Mark Benjamin, 25, along with four others.
