Hit and run victim on dying bed uses last breath to share mom’s number
DEAD: John Wickham
The relatives of 40-Year-old John Albert Wickham are pleading with members of the public for any help that may lead to the arrest of the person who struck him down on the Soesdyke Linden Highway last evening and drove away.
The relatives are also asking the driver of the vehicle to have some compassion, think about the pain the family is going through and turn themselves over to the police so that the Wickham family can have some closure.
Last evening about 21:45 Hours, John Wickham was found on the roadway in close proximity to the Kuru-Kuru Training College access road. He was found with marks on his body which appears to have been as a result of a hit and run accident, before taking his last breath, however, he confirmed to the police that he was hit by a vehicle. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop and render any assistance to their victim.
Wickham recently moved to the area where he is has been doing farming and labour work. Prior to that, he resided on the East Coast Demerara in the village of Bee-Hive.
“It was him who gave them (the police) mommy’s number and while he was in a sitting position he told them he wanted to lay down and once he was placed to lay down, he took his last breath. I am just pleading for whoever might have whatever information and the person that responsible, to just turn themselves in, I am ready to forgive them but just let the law take its course” His crying sister Suzette Knowles told BIG Smith News Watch.
Speaking to this publication over social media, Knowles said at the moment, the police have very little to work with given where the accident took place and that is why it is important for persons to come forward and for the driver to exercise compassion with the grieving family in mind.
“If anyone would have seen anything, one of the things I am cognizant of is that the Linden Highway is dark at nights so I don’t know how much visibility there was. They said he was walking across the road, maybe the people who were there, who saw, but no one is saying if it’s a car, a van, a bus what type of vehicle, no information has been disclosed” His sister Suzette Knowles told BIG Smith News Watch.
John Albert Wickham leaves to mourn his 5-year-old daughter, mother and other relatives and friends.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The issue of lighting along the Soesdyke Linden Highway with a view of improving visibility at nights is something that needs urgent attention. There is also an urgent need for adequate road markings and signage to guide motorists using Soesdyke Linden Highway. The Guyana Police Force also has it’s part to play, the Police Highway Patrol Base needs to be equipped with CCTV footage that provides coverage to both the compound of the facility as well the eastern and western approaches to the base from the public road. This publication will address this issue in a subsequent publication.
