A teacher of Dolphin Secondary School died yesterday after the minibus in which she was travelling toppled and plunged into a drain along the Diamond New Interlink Road, East Bank Demerara. Six other persons, including students, were injured.
Dead is Tineka Hicks, 30, of Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
According to a police statement, the accident occurred at about 8.30 am and involved minibus BAH 4679, which was being driven by a 52-year-old man of Diamond and carrying seven passengers.
Police said initial investigations revealed that the minibus was proceeding north along the western driving lane of the Diamond New Interlink Road when the driver, while attempting to overtake another vehicle, allegedly lost control of the bus.
The road surface was reportedly wet due to heavy rainfall at the time.
As a result, the minibus toppled onto its right side, skidded in a north-westerly direction and ended up in a drain on the western side of the road.
Several of the occupants sustained injuries. Hicks was pinned inside the vehicle.
Emergency Medical Technicians were summoned to the scene and Hicks was examined by a doctor and pronounced dead.
Her body has since been taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination.
The six other occupants, comprising three students and three adults, were taken to the Diamond Regional Hospital, where they were treated and sent away.
Police said two breathalyser tests were administered on the driver and no trace of alcohol was found in his system. He remains in custody assisting with investigations.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education yesterday expressed condolences to the family of the teacher.
In a statement, Education Minister Sonia Parag said she had visited Hicks’s relatives following the accident.
Parag and the Ministry of Education extended condolences to Hicks’s family, colleagues and students, saying that her dedication to her classroom and the lives she touched would not be forgotten.
The Dolphin Secondary School on its Facebook page said: “We are deeply saddened by this sudden loss. Tineka was a valued member of our school family whose presence, dedication, and contributions will be greatly missed by students, staff, and all who had the privilege of knowing her,” the school said.
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