The family of 17-year-old Yujraj Ram, the Anna Regina Multilateral School student who tragically lost his life after being struck by a minibus on Tuesday, is calling for a full investigation into the incident.
They have expressed concerns about how the case has been handled both at the hospital and by the police.
The fatal accident occurred at around 14:20hrs along the Dartmouth Public Road, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
According to the police report, Yuvraj was reportedly crossing the road when he was struck by a minibus. He was rushed to the Charity Hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Speaking with this publication, the teen’s uncle, Danraj Ram, recounted the moments following the accident. He said the family received a call from the hospital around 15:00hrs and they immediately rushed to Charity Hospital.
Danraj and his father – the teen’s grandfather – arrived at the Charity Hospital within five minutes and found Yuvraj in the emergency room area.
According to the uncle, they were informed that the teen had been involved in a vehicle accident and was in a semi-conscious state. However, just a few minutes later, medical personnel informed them that Yuvraj had succumbed to his injuries.
What troubled the family even more, the uncle said, was the lack of proper medical support. He explained that there was no ambulance driver on duty to transfer the injured teen to the Suddie Hospital for further treatment, and that the hospital’s x-ray machine was not functioning. It wasn’t until after Yujraj had passed that someone eventually arrived to transport him to Suddie Hospital, the uncle said.
“We waited there and only after he passed, someone with a short pants and a armless vest came to assist with the ambulance. It was too late,” he lamented.
He added that the family subsequently went to the police station where they waited over an hour before an officer attended to them.
Thereafter, the uncle said the family was told that a visit to the scene of the accident would have to take place the following day.
However, despite calling repeatedly throughout the day, the family did not receive any response until late in the afternoon, after they had reached out to a third party to intervene. Only then, the uncle said, did the police arrange the site visit.
“They told us they would go to the scene the next day. We waited all day and had to call around just to get a response. It was only late yesterday afternoon they contacted us to visit the scene… The driver showed them one area, but there was no sign there. About 15 to 20 feet away, in the corner, we found the broken lights and other bus parts. That’s where we believe he was hit,” Danraj explained to this publication.
Additionally, the uncle said that during the visit to the scene, the minibus driver showed the police a specific spot in the road where he claimed the impact occurred. However, the uncle stated that there was no visible evidence at that location to support the driver’s version of the story. He pointed out that about 15 to 20 feet away—in a corner of the road—there were broken pieces of the minibus’s light and other parts, which he believes indicate the true point of impact. Measurements were taken, but the driver continued to insist that the collision occurred at the original spot he identified.
The family believes there are inconsistencies in the driver’s story and say witnesses have provided a different account of what took place.
One eyewitness told this publication that Yuvraj was not emerging from behind any bus, as claimed by the driver. According to the eyewitness, the teenager had been standing on the opposite side of the road, speaking with friends in the village, when he saw the approaching minibus.
He then reportedly ran across the road and stopped the vehicle near the corner. However, the speeding minibus reportedly struck him with such force that he was flung into a signpost and then into a nearby trench. The witness firmly emphasised that at no point did Yuvraj exit from behind any bus.
“He saw the bus coming and crossed the road to stop it. He was in the corner when the bus, which was speeding, hit him and flung him into a signpost and then into a trench. He didn’t come from behind any bus,” the eyewitness reported.
Doodnauth Ram, the father of Yuvraj, has also questioned the driver’s version of events. He said that if his son had been hit in the middle of the road, as claimed, the evidence would reflect that. Instead, he pointed out that all the broken mirrors and parts from the minibus were found at the side of the road in the grass, near the corner.
Furthermore, the teen’s slippers and money were recovered from the trench—some distance from where his body eventually landed. The father also noted that the front passenger side of the bus was visibly damaged, which he said does not support the claim that Yuvraj was hit in the center of the roadway.
“If he was hit in the middle, why are all the broken mirrors and parts of the bus in the grass at the corner? His slippers and money were found in the trench. The front passenger side of the bus is damaged—not the middle. Nothing about this adds up,” he said.
The family is now demanding a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
“We just want a thorough investigation and justice…Too many things are not adding up,” the father told the publication.
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