Boy, 9, loses life after stopping to tie shoe lace; unlicensed driver in custody

A 9-year-old boy lost his life on Sunday after he was allegedly struck by an unlicensed teenager at Dazzell Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Dead is Daniel Joseph Haywood, a student of Enterprise Primary School, who resided at Bare Root, Bachelors Adventure, ECD.

The accident occurred at about 09:50hrs at 12th Street, Dazzell Housing Scheme, ECD. At the time, Daniel was on his way to church with his siblings.

The 16-year-old driver has been arrested and is currently in custody assisting with the investigation.

The News Room understands that motorcar, PTT 9657, was heading south along the road when the driver alleged that he drove into a pothole.

This caused him to lose control of the car after which he collided with Haywood who had stopped to tie his shoe lace.

As a result of the collision, Haywood was flung into a nearby trench and received injuries about his body. The vehicle then submerged in a nearby trench.

Haywood was picked up by public-spirited citizens and taken to the CC Nicholson’s Hospital at Nabacalis, ECD where he was pronounced dead.

In an interview with the News Room on Monday, the dead child’s mother, Shanti Haywood, said it is customary for Daniel and his siblings to attend Sunday school every week.

She said she would later join them for the church service.

“I was home preparing to go to church to meet them up and me neighbour son come and seh ‘aunty Shanti Daniel get knockdown but it seemed like Daniel dead’. So me and he brother them run out to see wah going on but he did already leave and gone to the health center,” Shanti told the News Room.

“When we go to the health center now, he was already dead,” she said.

According to the mother, the driver is known to the family.

She said just last week, Daniel’s father reportedly complained to the driver’s father about his reckless driving on the road.

“He (driver) mother send he to buy feed and tell he let he hurry and come back…and they switch the story to the Police and say he (driver) thief the keys (car). Is not now that child (driver) driving. The child nearly knock down the bai (Daniel) father couple days now and the father complain to the man that he son driving reckless on the road and them ain’t do nothing about it,” Shanti said.

She added, “All the children does drive the car and none ah them ain’t got license”.