77-year-old man dies in Friendship crash

A 77-year-old man has died following a tragic accident on the Friendship Public Road, East Bank Demerara, on Thursday morning.

Dead is Mike Dasrat of Lot 24 Brickery, East Bank Demerara. The accident occurred at around 09:42hrs and involved Dasrat’s motor jeep, PLL 8152, and a motor lorry, GAE 5317, driven by 37-year-old Aubrey Herman Lim of Timehri.

According to police reports, the lorry was travelling north along the western drive lane of the Friendship Public Road, while Dasrat’s jeep was heading south on the eastern drive lane. The lorry driver told investigators that he was near the Friendship Secondary School when he saw the jeep suddenly swerve into his lane and continue driving directly towards him.

In an attempt to avoid a collision, Lim said he applied brakes, swerved westward and stopped the lorry. Despite this, the short braking distance resulted in the jeep colliding head-on with the lorry.

The impact left Dasrat with severe injuries. Emergency Medical Technicians arrived promptly and transported him to the Diamond Public Hospital, where he was examined by a doctor but succumbed to his injuries at 10:34hrs, without regaining consciousness.

His body is currently at the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Police have served a Notice of Intended Prosecution on the lorry driver, who was breathalysed at the scene and tested negative for alcohol.

Investigations into the fatal crash are ongoing.