Lakeram Mangal, the fourth victim in the deadly Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice crash died as a result of his injuries on Saturday night at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Mangal was hospitalised for almost one week and according to his daughter, Rajdey Mangal, the man sustained injuries to his head and neck.
At the time of the accident, Lakeram was heading back to the interior where he worked as an operator. According to his daughter, he was at home for some months due to the pandemic. It was only a few days before the accident he was called to head back into the interior.
Rajdey said Mangal’s death came as a shock to the family since he had been showing signs of improvement days prior to his death. She noted that she had hopes that he would pull through and make it out alive and well.
“ I didn’t expect this. I think my father was coming around because all the time I hearing he’s doing well, he’s fine and so I really had hoped that he would be okay but it wasn’t like that. When I get the news that night, I was left shock. I was positive that he was coming around. My father was a calm person. He was very nice to everyone and he never had problems with people. It’s very sad to lose a father just hours before Father’s Day.”
Mangal was described as a caring father and grandfather to his three children and eight grandchildren. His daughter noted that he always spent quality time at home with his grandchildren. She said that she cannot explain the feelings of losing her father as she shared a very strong father/daughter bond with him.
“Every morning when I wake up I does gatto listen out for him. I would hear him brushing his teeth at the back door or I would get up and go out and peep him when he raking up the leaves infront the yard and so. He was a very loving dad. He love to plant too, especially fruit trees. He always tell us that when he dead, his grandchildren will pick and inherit. I never expected this to happen, the woman said in tears.”
The accident also claimed the lives of Fifty-Nine year old, Hookumchand Parmanand an overseas-based Guyanese, formerly of #36 Village, Thirty-Six year old Shaband Latif, of Lot 83 Brothers Village, East Bank Berbice along with the driver, Twenty-three year old, Carlos Edwards of Lot 39 StanleyTown New Amsterdam.
Edwards was the driver of motorcar HC 6077 which was carrying the passengers. According to reports, he lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a turn on the Fort Wellington Public Road and as a result, slammed into the concrete fence of GECOMs building, then into a GTT pole before coming to a halt in a nearby drain.
They were all rushed to the hospital where Edwards, Latif and Parmanand were all pronounced dead on arrival. Mangal along with Twenty Seven year old, Joycelyn Cole and her six month old baby, Carolyn Edwards were all treated for injuries they received.
Carlos Edwards was laid to rest on Sunday.
