Over one dozen injured after Mandela Avenue collision

The minibus and pick up after they landed in the trench.

Over a dozen persons were injured after a minibus collided with a pick-up truck and landed both vehicles in a trench along Mandela Avenue, just outside of President David Granger’s home.

The Route 48 (Georgetown-Sophia) minibus was travelling east along Homestretch Avenue loaded with about 15 passengers, while the pick-up, belonging to BK International, was travelling south from Sheriff Street into Mandela Avenue, when the collision occurred at the junction.

Some witnesses suggested that the minibus was speeding and the accident occurred as he tried to “catch the light” to turn into Sheriff Street at around 11.30 am, although others denied this.

“To be honest, I can’t even tell ya if the [minibus driver] was speeding because the crash happen before I could blink ma eye,” said Leonard De Abreu, 69, the driver of the pick-up.

“I was unconscious for about three minutes before I heard someone call out to me, and I saw a guy trying to get me out of the car,” De Abreu told Stabroek News at his 31 Essequibo Avenue, Houston home.

De Abreu said the bus hit the right side of his vehicle and after the collision he could not exit. His wife, who was standing beside him, noted that if the trench were deeper, her husband might have drowned.

De Abreu’s neck was injured as a result of the accident and he said that his doctor recommended bed rest. He added that the injury was not serious but he will be unable to drive for a