A 77-year-old licensed liquor shop operator of Rosignol, West Bank Berbice, died on Saturday evening after the electric bike he was riding was struck by a motorcar along the public road.
Kundal Persaud, of Lot 51 Bacchus Street, Rosignol, was returning home from a wedding in the Cotton Tree area when motorcar PLL 4307 reportedly collided with his e-bike.
He sustained multiple injuries and was rushed to the Bath Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Persaud’s son, Arnold Persaud, said the family learnt of the accident when a young man came to their home with news that his father had been knocked down. By the time relatives reached the scene, one of his uncles had already transported the injured pensioner to hospital.
Arnold said that while travelling to the scene, the family saw the vehicle allegedly involved in the collision still moving with the e-bike trapped beneath its front wheel, sparking as it dragged along the road.
Onlookers pursued the vehicle, forcing the driver to stop. He said the driver then attempted to flee the area aboard a minibus, but villagers intervened, telling him he had to remain until police arrived.
Describing his father’s injuries at the hospital, Arnold said one of his father’s feet was severely broken and the other fractured, his skull was swollen at the back, his jaw appeared broken, his neck was bent back and his face was twisted. He said his father’s death was more brutal than the slaughter of an animal.
The grieving son said the family is calling for justice, adding that he wants the driver imprisoned rather than have his licence suspended. He said his father had been travelling peacefully before the driver lost control on a turn and struck him.
Persaud was described as a respected and well-liked member of the Rosignol community.
The driver of motorcar PLL 4307 remains in police custody as investigations continue.
Persaud is survived by eight children.
