A fourth person who was involved in the minibus accident on the Friendship, East Bank Demerara Public Road on Sunday morning succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital yesterday morning.
Dead is Dexter LaRose, 31, of Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway. He was one of the passengers who was supposed to be discharged yesterday. The police confirmed that LaRose died yesterday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) while the other passenger who was also due to be discharged yesterday remains in hospital.
The accident had already claimed the lives of passenger, Sydney Ragnauth, 76, of Kuru Kururu, Linden/Soesdyke Highway who died on Monday at the GPH while receiving medical treatment; the minibus driver, Keon Chandos Edwards; and passenger Alvin Jones, 51, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, both of whom died at the scene of the accident. Five other passengers were discharged from the East Demerara Regional Hospital, Diamond.
LaRose’s sister, Grace De Camp told Stabroek News yesterday that her brother, a construction worker, was on his way to work at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, when he was involved in the accident. He was sitting in the conductor seat at the time. De Camp related that her brother’s death came as a surprise to her family since he told his two sisters on Monday when they visited him at the hospital that he will be going home on Tuesday. She said her brother’s birthday was on Tuesday.
She related that LaRose’s fiancée told her that the doctors tried to resuscitate him and were successful the first time but the second time they failed. According to De Camp, around 1:16 am yesterday the fiancée received a call from GPH asking her to go down to the hospital. When she got there, LaRose had already died.
Raymond Ragnauth, Sydney’s son, told Stabroek News that his father who was a farmer was on his way to church when the accident occurred. Raymond relayed that he was unable to speak to his father because when he arrived at GPH he was in a coma. He died on Monday. He said that his father suffered a fractured skull, injuries to his jaw, a fracture thigh and multiple bleeding. The post mortem is scheduled for today.
The crash occurred around 8:30 am. According to the police, Edwards was driving minibus, BYY 7440, north on the East Bank Public Road at a fast rate, when it collided with motor car, PAD 3102. As a result, the car rearended another, PXX 5169, which then collided with a third car, PXX 5169. Consequently, Edwards lost control of the minibus and it toppled several times during which passengers were flung in several directions. The bus came to an eventual halt on the parapet with extensive damage.
Eight passengers were picked up and rushed to the East Demerara Regional Hospital at Diamond, while Edwards and Jones were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel.
