Zealand accident victims died by drowning

Rescuers trying to save the victims on Monday following an accident at Zealand Public Road, Mahaicony
Rescuers trying to save the victims on Monday following an accident at Zealand Public Road, Mahaicony

Autopsies on the bodies of Michael Aubrey Ross and Jennifer Nikita Park –  the two persons who died on Monday following an accident at Zealand Public Road, Mahaicony revealed that they drowned.

This was confirmed by police spokesman Jairam Ramlakhan who told Stabroek News that the autopsies were conducted yesterday morning by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh.

Ramlakhan said that Jennifer’s sister, Judy Nikita Park, a nurse attached to the Port Mourant Hospital who was injured remains hospitalised at the Mahaicony Hospital.

Jennifer Nikita Park
Michael Aubrey Ross

The accident occurred around 12.30 pm after which Ross and the Park sisters were pulled from the submerged car, PMM 1423, driven by Ross, and rushed to the Mahaicony Hospital where Jennifer and Ross were pronounced dead on arrival.

A fourth person, Kevin Madray, who resides in Suriname was also in the car at the time of the accident. However, he escaped with only a gash to his hand and left the scene in a hurry after reportedly relaying to witnesses that he was returning to Suriname.

The police had said that enquiries disclosed that the motor car was proceeding east along the northern carriageway of the road when Ross attempted to overtake a low-bed lorry which was transporting heavy-duty machinery

During the process, Ross was forced to pull to the north since another vehicle was quickly approaching from the opposite direction.

This resulted in the car colliding with the right side of the lorry and flipping several times before ending up in a nearby trench.

At the time of the accident, Judy was seated in the front passenger seat while Madray and Jennifer were in the back seat with Jennifer directly behind Ross.

Judy had related to this newspaper that she and Jennifer had hired the car to take them to the Cyril Potter College of Education at Turkeyen.

She had said that at the time of the accident, they were returning home after she had accompanied Jennifer to the orientation after she was accepted into the institution.

Judy had stated that while she could not relate how she managed to get out of the car, she tried to save her sister’s life several times by applying CPR but despite this Jennifer still died.