A Cuban national who police say was not licensed to drive in Guyana has been remanded to prison on two counts of causing death by dangerous driving following last week’s three-vehicle collision on the Timehri Public Road.
Ramon Rodrigues, 35, of Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, appeared in court on Thursday. He was not required to plead to the indictable charges, and the matters were adjourned until September 25.
Rodrigues, who is attached to Avinash Construction Inc., was driving motor lorry GAJ 3074 when the accident occurred at approximately 3.51 am on August 28.
The two persons killed were identified as Indonesian nationals Edy Ansyori Sukri and Ikomang Tedy Arsa Bantara Putra. They were occupants of minibus BAF 1135 and were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the lorry was proceeding south along the eastern driving lane, allegedly at a fast rate, when Rodrigues swerved southwest and collided with minibus BAH 6588, which was travelling north.
The lorry subsequently collided with BAF 1135, which was travelling behind BAH 6588. The second minibus was transporting a group of foreign oil workers who had recently arrived in Guyana.
Four other foreign nationals in BAF 1135 were injured and taken by a Guyana Defence Force ambulance to the Diamond Regional Hospital for treatment.
All three vehicles were extensively damaged.
Police had said that breathalyser tests administered to the three drivers returned negative results. Investigators reportedly found neither eyewitnesses nor CCTV footage of the accident.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home for post-mortem examinations.
Further investigations subsequently revealed that Rodrigues did not possess a valid Guyanese driver’s licence at the time of the collision.
Questions have now arisen as to the liability of the company that Rodrigues was driving for.
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