An accident on the Number 19 Road along the Corentyne Highway on Sunday night left one teenager dead and two other persons critical at the New Amsterdam Hospital. According to reports, dead is 17- year- old Shavez “Lagadoue” Welcome of 219 Mayor & Town Council (M&TC) Housing Scheme, New Amsterdam. Welcome would have celebrated his 18th birthday next month. Reports suggest that Welcome, who was in control of a car, PLL 8762 , was heading home with 2 friends, Alistair Henry of Asylum Street and a female friend called Babita, from New Amsterdam, after attending the Mutton Curry Competition at the #63 Beach when, just after 19:30 hrs, Welcome reportedly lost control of the vehicle which crashed into a GPL lamp post, resulting in him dying on impact and completely damaging the post. The car did not belong to Welcome. According to eyewitnesses, the two injured occupants, who occupied the backseat of the car, were quickly rescued and sent to the hospital.
The accident took place in the vicinity of Future Line Restaurant and Night Club, not very far from where the major accident took place in October, resulting in loss of over a dozen persons.
Henry and his friend sustained several broken limbs as well as broken shoulders. They are receiving medical attention in the hospital and listed as critical. Eyewitnesses recalled seeing Welcome’s body badly broken and injured, including broken teeth, hands, shoulder and head.
The impact severely damaged the car and as a result of the impact, the entire area was immediately plunged into a blackout.
Gillian Welcome, the mother of the deceased lad, said that she received the news shortly after 21:00 hrs and immediately left for the hospital. She was in a state of shock since her son had told her earlier that afternoon that he was leaving to visit his father, Hillary, at Lot 49 Stanleytown, a norm she said. This took place after she refused Welcome’s request to attend the event at the beach. “I tell Chavez not to worry with anything at the beach”, she said while breaking down in tears.
According to the boy’s mother, Shavez had finished writing the CSEC Exams as well as CAPE. He even applied to enter the Cadet Officer Course of the Guyana Police Force. He also had plans to attend the University of Guyana.
Residents and motorists plying the Corentyne routes have, from time to time, been calling on the relevant authorities to ensure that the street- lighting project currently underway in Berbice extends to the #19 Road, the longest continuous straight road in the Caribbean. This road, over the years, has seen the occurrence of major life- taking accidents and is an area that is pitch dark at nights.
Mrs Welcome believes that the boy was blinded by oncoming traffic whereby the driver in the opposite direction may have failed to dip their lights. Police are investigating the incident. Contrary to other reports on a nightly newscast, the family is saying that Welcome was a licensed driver and that he was not speeding.
The accident took place in the vicinity of Future Line Restaurant and Night Club, not very far from where the major accident took place in October, resulting in loss of over a dozen persons.
Henry and his friend sustained several broken limbs as well as broken shoulders. They are receiving medical attention in the hospital and listed as critical. Eyewitnesses recalled seeing Welcome’s body badly broken and injured, including broken teeth, hands, shoulder and head.
The impact severely damaged the car and as a result of the impact, the entire area was immediately plunged into a blackout.
Gillian Welcome, the mother of the deceased lad, said that she received the news shortly after 21:00 hrs and immediately left for the hospital. She was in a state of shock since her son had told her earlier that afternoon that he was leaving to visit his father, Hillary, at Lot 49 Stanleytown, a norm she said. This took place after she refused Welcome’s request to attend the event at the beach. “I tell Chavez not to worry with anything at the beach”, she said while breaking down in tears.
According to the boy’s mother, Shavez had finished writing the CSEC Exams as well as CAPE. He even applied to enter the Cadet Officer Course of the Guyana Police Force. He also had plans to attend the University of Guyana.
Residents and motorists plying the Corentyne routes have, from time to time, been calling on the relevant authorities to ensure that the street- lighting project currently underway in Berbice extends to the #19 Road, the longest continuous straight road in the Caribbean. This road, over the years, has seen the occurrence of major life- taking accidents and is an area that is pitch dark at nights.
Mrs Welcome believes that the boy was blinded by oncoming traffic whereby the driver in the opposite direction may have failed to dip their lights. Police are investigating the incident. Contrary to other reports on a nightly newscast, the family is saying that Welcome was a licensed driver and that he was not speeding.
