Three porters killed in highway accident

Three men were on Wednesday night killed in an accident after the motor lorry they were travelling in toppled on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway in the vicinity of Kuru Kuru.

Those killed are Michael Edwards (age unknown) of Timehri Base Road EBD, Wilfred Phillips (age unknown) and Alicious Squad (age unknown) both of Pomeroon River, Essequibo.

According to a police report, the motor lorry GNN 4083 was being driven by 47-year-old Shawn Lim of Hyde Park, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Police said the motor lorry was proceeding north along the Highway when the driver alleges that he saw something ran across the road from east to west in front of him and he pulled left to avoid a collision and lost control of the motor lorry. The left side wheel collided with the barranca causing the vehicle to turn turtle several times down a ditch on the western side of the road and as a result, the three victims who were all seated on top of some utility poles in the tray of the lorry were all pinned down at the bottom of the vehicle.

They were assisted by the police and public-spirited citizens and rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre in an unconscious condition where they were all seen and examined by Doctor Williams who pronounced them dead on arrival. The bodies were then escorted to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home for storage – awaiting postmortem examination.

A breathalyzer test conducted on the driver of the motor lorry returned zero readings. He is in custody pending further enquiries.