Ewart Sewart, the 38-year-old truck driver involved in Monday’s gruesome accident on the Greenwich Park Public Road, East Bank Essequibo, was charged on Thursday with four counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
The accident occurred at about 09:30 hrs on March 6, 2023, and involved the lorry (GZZ 2285) driven by Stewart and a minibus (BWW 8364), driven by 50-year-old Vernon Prowell, of Bent Street, Wortmanville, who died in the crash.
Three minibus passengers also died: Margaret Kennedy, 72, of Tuschen; Olga Reddy, 57, of Parika; and Elvis Charles, 40, of Ruby, East Bank Essequibo.
The truck driver from Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, was also charged with driving an uninsured and an uncertified vehicle.
Police Headquarters reported that he appeared before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepersaud at Leonora Magistrate’s Court, where he was not required to plead to the first four charges of causing the death of the passengers; he was remanded to prison.
However, bail was granted in the sum of $20,000 for the summary charges. The matter was adjourned to March 27, 2023, for report.
Police had reported that the truck was speeding east along the northern side of the road while approaching a pedestrian crossing and the minibus was heading in the opposite direction.
The truck driver claimed that a car in front of him made a sudden stop at the pedestrian crossing and so he applied brakes and swerved to avoid a collision. As a result, the truck crashed into the minibus.