Berbice security officer dies after crashing car into utility pole

A 28-year-old security officer lost his life on Sunday evening after he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed into a utility pole at Epsom Village, Corentyne, Berbice. Dead is Samuel Campbell of Liverpool Village, Corentyne.

An eyewitness, Randy Hope, who was performing duties in the area at the time, recalled seeing the entire incident unfold. According to Hope, Campbell was travelling along the highway when two pedestrians suddenly entered his path to avoid coming into contact with an alligator that was near a bridge. “I was walking at the pump down there doing watchman work, and everything that happened I saw,” Hope said.

He explained that the driver appeared to take evasive action in an effort to avoid hitting the two pedestrians. “The driver of the car tried to save the two girls. They moved away from an alligator by the bridge, and after doing that, they ended up in his lane. He hit the vehicle, lost control, and ended up here,” the eyewitness stated.

Hope said the car began skidding after the driver attempted to avoid the pedestrians. “The vehicle started to skid from in front by the bridge there, and he skidded down there and came to this pole from the side. From the side, he hit the pole and spun around,” he recounted.

Residents and passers-by rushed to the scene and pulled Campbell from the wreckage, but at that time, he showed little sign of life. “The guys that were around here took him out. When they brought him out, my sister pulled his head up; he made one breath, and that was it,” the witness said.

The eyewitness maintained that, in his view, excessive speed was not the primary cause of the crash. “Really and truly, this guy wasn’t going so fast. They swerved him with the alligator because if they didn’t move, he would have hit them. That’s what caused the accident,” Hope said.

The two pedestrians reportedly escaped with minor injuries. Police have launched an investigation into the fatal accident. (Andrew Carmichael)