Salim Mohamed, one of the porters in the Bakewell truck involved in Friday’s accident in which former commissioner of police Henry Greene and 10-year-old Shaffiya Jamaluddin died, said that prior to the collision, Greene’s vehicle had been swerving from side to side.

“We were going to Parika and we see this white SUV coming in the other lane and it was wobbling. We thought the driver drunk so the car in front of us slow down and pull in the corner but then the SUV pick up aspeed and slam into the white car,” Mohamed told Stabroek News yesterday.

Henry Greene

Greene’s vehicle and the car collided head-on, on the West Demerara highway at Waller’s Delight.

Speaking with this newspaper, the 19-year-old Mohamed said that he was seated between the driver of the truck, 35-year-old Victor Persaud of Vriesland, West Bank Demerara and 22-year-old Dharmendra Prashad Misir, of Cove and John, East Coast Demerara (ECD), who is also a porter.

According to Mohammed, of Lusignan, ECD, despite the attempts to take evasive action by the drivers of the truck and the other car involved in the accident, Greene’s vehicle still smashed into them.

“The car in front of us slow down and then we slow down too after we notice this car driving lil funny. But is after the man pick up speed we couldn’t swerve and save ourselves. After I see he blam into the car, I shut my eyes and next thing I know he hit we too,” the teen recalled.

He explained that when he opened his eyes, his attention first turned to Misir who was crying out loudly in pain then to the driver. He said both their faces were covered in blood and he then realized that their legs had all been pinned by the front of the truck which was smashed in.

Mohamed said that persons immediately rendered assistance but it took about 20 minutes before Misir, the first to be pulled from the truck, was rescued. Several minutes later, he and Persaud were also freed. The men were rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) and Mohamed and Misir were treated and sent home while Persaud was admitted. He was later transferred to the Balwant Singh Hospital but was yesterday discharged and is now at home resting.

Mohamed said that while trapped in the truck, he could see as persons from the car were being rescued and placed to lie on the side of the road; they were motionless, he added.

‘Disoriented’

The driver of that car, Raheem Kaleem, 45, along with the other occupants, his sons Reeaz Kaleem, 18; and Fawaaz Kaleem, 15; along with Shaimoon Kaleem, 46; and Zaitoon Hoosein, 26, all of Canefield, East Canje, sustained injuries and were also taken to the WDRH. Shaimoon was treated and sent away, while the others were admitted and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where they are currently patients.

Shaffiya Jamaluddin

When this newspaper visited the hospital, officials said that the patients were “disoriented” and would be unable to speak until after two to three days.

However, Zaitoon Hoosein’s sister, ‘Chile’ (only name given), said that her sister had sustained injuries to her head and was admitted to the High Dependency Unit. Her jaw was also said to be broken and doctors are closely monitoring her condition. Hoosein is the mother of the dead child.

The three men were all admitted to the Male Medical Ward and are in stable conditions. Chile said they related that Greene was speeding before the accident occurred.

‘I propa cry’

A revisit to the scene revealed that residents were still shaken up by the accident and spoke with alarm of what had occurred.

“I see the black car fly into this bridge, almost in the trench and then I see this green thing coming, I thought it was a garbage truck and the white vehicle pitch into that too. I start holler and cry… if you see people wa come to help. Too much people come. They tek long to bruck open the doors and get them poor people out though. I propa cry,” said Latchmie Deepoo, an elderly woman in front of whose home the accident occurred.

On her Lot 1 Waller’s Delight bridge, white markings of where the black car transporting the family landed could be seen. On the road exactly in front of her home, other markings were noticed.

Police officers removing documents from the former commissioner’s SUV after Friday’s accident

Deepoo said she could not manage to leave her front door which is just about 15 feet away from her bridge and had a clear view of everything. She admitted that the event has traumatized her somewhat.

Her husband, Hanuman Deepoo, who said he ventured out to the road for a closer look, stated that it took about an hour before all the occupants of the vehicles were freed.

In the area, no one seemed to have been familiar with the former commissioner and even yesterday, residents seemed oblivious as to who he was.

When this newspaper visited Greene’s home yesterday, relatives indicated that his wife was not in a position to speak at the time and asked that they be contacted at a later date. However, a close relative told Stabroek News that his family remembers him as a very private, disciplined, but jovial person. He was said to have never spoken about his work inside the home.

Greene enjoyed spending time at the Bistro Restaurant where he loved to sample various dishes. After his retirement in April, he was said to have focused his energies on a farm he owned along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and a dredge in the interior.

He was a father of two: a boy, Troy and a girl, Jasmine.

Police, in a statement, said the accident occurred around 9.10 am while Greene was driving his SUV, PLL 7411, along the roadway. They said it was reported that his vehicle veered into the lane of the car, PJJ 4812, which was travelling in the opposite direction, resulting in a head-on collision.

The police said that after Greene collided with the car, his vehicle then collided with the Bakewell truck, GJJ 9067 that was travelling behind the car.

As a result of the collision, Greene and Jamaluddin, of Adelphi, East Canje Berbice, sustained injuries and were pronounced dead on arrival at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. Greene was alive when he was pulled out of his vehicle, according to eyewitnesses, but he succumbed on the way to the hospital. A hospital source said it was not clear whether Greene died of injuries sustained or other causes. Greene was 58.

What were the documents that Greene had in his car and that the police was so anxious to retrieve in a hurry? And why was his car swerving and to then speed up? An autopsy of the body and an investigation of the car would be very interesting. I smell foul play, possibly connected to the documents.

Mind you, they look more like cocaine wrapped up...

His tires were shot out. It was a HIT ! 

Kid...you kidding or?

i wonder what the fool is doing in hell now maybe looking for a house lot for roheeand the rest of the ppp crime family

Leave it up to the AFC to make a regular accident from a mole hill into a mountain. These sapsuckers will make a federal case out of poop. Let's take a look at the noise makers: Warrior, the puss master, Cain-the stale bread man, T, the British doll-boy, and Mitwah, our forum pandit. The green dragon is missing. Who else are we missing.

My condolences to the Green family and to the Jamaluddins for the loss of their angelic Shaffiya Jamaluddin.

One day you might post something of substance, you idiot.

My condolences go out to Shaffiya's family and the Greens.

RIP Shaffiya.

Did he suffer another heart attack while he was driving or he was asleep on the wheel? Does anyone know?

Greene suffered a fractured spine as the cause of death.

BTW, why the AFC support base didn't start a condolence thread for Greene if they really care. Some wish to show their human side by showing sympathy for Greene and Shaffiya's family. If that's the way we show sympathy to the family of the deceased, what happen to all the people, young and old that are killed by accident daily in Guyana. This is what you call meaningless and politically driven sympathy. People cannot get any lower than this.

What's political about these deaths?

When is comes to the AFC, everything is political. Have a genuine thread dedicated to the death of all Guyanese that lost their lives similarly.

You must have been molested by a care bear as a child or something to be so anal retentive! who the hell in the AFC here has suggested anything nefarious in the death of the gentlemen? We are a bunch of itinerant posters and most with no relations to the administration or opposition to be authoritative on anything so quit the whining pronouncements of knowing the AFC is doing this or that! Address the poster who you think makes an unreasonable statements and desist from stupid generalizations.

Yo, don't fret me with you BS. My patience is limited.

You are a gnat so everything is limited.

Let's analyze this: Do you think Cain is sincere with his condolences for Greene? They use Shaffiya Jamaluddin death as a passport to politicized Greene death. How many accidents happen prior the one in question here that took many innocent lives and they only focus on this one. Why? I know a barefaced sapsucker when I see one. These people claim they have dignity. Well, you be the judge.

I am pleased to learn that you still have mirrors in your house.

What's stopping you to start one?

Talking me down is not the logical answer for politicizing the death of Henry Greene. This is cheap politics and you know it.

You are the one politicizing it.

Let's don't forget that he was a key source of information in the laptop eavesdropping equipment caper involving the Jagdeo government during the Roger Khan saga; PPP mantra: "Dead men tell no tales."

,

This is a real "life" lesson. Who knows, one may or may be here tomorow or even next moment.

Dude my reliable source is always accurate. The man's wheels were shot out which caused his accident and death. The Police were on the scene almost immediately to remove contents from his vehicle. Official reports will state we was under the influence of alcohol or he had a heart attack. It was an ambush. He is a stupid man, he (was forced to) retire in April this year, in addition to rape charges and other accusations which would have materialized into more charges, he should have known he would be a target and be more careful and cautious.

Dude, you are doing a conspiracy theorist a la Henry on us. I believe the PPP are indeed not impartial to murder if it preserve their status at the helm of the state and will say they have done so a number of times accruing kill rates in the hundreds. However, this man drove his truck into a car. It was his fault either because he had a heart attack or some kind of seizure. His car is still there and so is his body so the contents of his vehicle is of little significance.

Some people fetch Wata and chop Bush in National Service and believe they are James Bond!!!!

The man will soon start to decay and these idiots are arguing about conspiracy theory. 

Yeah! yuh mama ah fetch meh wata  and ah me

mow she bush!

It is not a conspiracy theory, the man was assassinated. Now who dunnit it is another question ? In Guyana,when you livin large shit can come from any direction. Many people had axe to grind with HG but one thing is certain , the man's wheels were shot at which caused the vehicle to veer and speed into other vehicle. I supposed people believe the man voluntarily took an early retirement in April this year !

Well a good exchange for me cause yuh Sis, wife and mama did that fuh me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

great ! now yuh can crack a smile ! yuh lucky devil .

Interesting! Then he had the goods on the PPP for the spy laptop caper and his dosier of the RK saga; hence the contents of his vehicle would be of significance.

 He would have done well as a criminal defence lawyer.

I said from the beginning that it was an assassination. The evidence is clear to see.

You are in a struggle to defame the gov't. It's desperation in every sense of the word. Imagine, we are being told that Henry Green's death in an auto accident was not accidental. You guys must be listening too much to /George Correiria these days.

Kidmost ..you are too much into fiction . A little help from basic science will illustrate your inaccurate conspiracy theory . If the wheels were shot out , the vehicle would decrease in speed due to deflation of the tires and an automatic reflex by the driver to hit the brakes . The vehicle would have most likely rolled over due to the high center of gravity , rapid decrease in momentum ( p=mv , f= ma as well as the kinematics equations will tell you that his vehicle would have slowed or toppled / rolled over .

I fully agree with Stormborn that the driver could have suffered a heart attack or seizure except that I would expand that differential to include pulmonary embolus , syncope , hypoglycemia, carotid hypersenitivity and simply falling asleep at the wheel .It further makes sense that any of those conditions are possible when you consider this man's body habitus .A further complicating trigger in addition to the above causes could have been medication interactions ..if he was taking nitrates along with an alpha blocker and was a user of viagra , then he was already predisposed to a hypotensive state.

Any of these conditions would cause lapse of consciousness and the resulting heavy foot on the gas pedal causing a sudden acceleration which in conjunction with the torque would cause sudden swerving and greatly increased speed.

 . 

T,

Were you there to survey the accident scene? If cows shit in the pasture, you blame the government. Lets be real ......

"...Greene enjoyed spending time at the Bistro Restaurant where he loved to sample various dishes..."

I  believe anyone  with  rudimentary knowledge  of the  character of  Henry Greene would surmise that the  simplest  and  least complicated  method  of   knocking  him off  would have  been  an  endless  supply of mixed  lowmein,  cook-up  and  souse.  For  years the man has  been  gnawing his  way to an early  grave and  even his serious heart condition was never a deterrent. Why would anyone  bother  to engage  snipers and  high power  rifles  when a sumptuous  buffet would  suffice?  

It's somehow connected with the items that men dressed in police uniforms took away from the car. How did they know what to look for and what to take away? It was not a random act, but one well planned and executed.