By: Andrew Carmichael
A single mother of five has been forced to stay at home to care for four of her children who were injured in a road accident on New Year’s Eve last year.
Sharron McDonald, 32, earned a living as a domestic helper, but for the past few weeks, she has not been working.
On December 31, 2022, four of her children were involved in the accident which claimed the life of two-year-old Jasmine Ross of New Amsterdam, Berbice.
McDonald’s 11-year-old Shavine Laundry suffered head injuries and has difficulties walking and keeping her balance.
The other siblings injured in the accident are five-year-old Shaniya Blair, eight-year-old Javeer Blair and ten-year-old Shaveh Laundry.
Ten-year-old Shaveh is still traumatised from the accident while eight-year-old Javeer is suffering from a fractured skull. Five-year-old Shaniya is still having difficulty walking after the cast on her leg was prematurely removed after the child was crying continuously due to the discomfort.
Police had reported that on motorcar PGG-278 was proceeding along the East Canje Public Road at a fast rate of speed when the driver lost control of the vehicle and skidded onto the eastern lane and collided with a motorcycle which was proceeding in the opposite direction.
As a result of the impact, the motorcyclist and the pillion rider were both flung into the air and fell onto the parapet where they both received injuries.
The car skidded further and ended up onto the grass parapet and collided with a bridge and further into a fence.
As a result of the impact, the driver and the occupants also received injuries about their body. The car was being driven by Chandani Mohabir, a firewoman stationed at the New Amsterdam Fire Station and of East Canefield Settlement, East Canje.
The bike’s pillion rider, two-year-old Jasmine Ross, was later pronounced dead.
According to McDonald, who also has a two-year-old, there seems to be no help coming her way.
“As a single mother, it is tough because I don’t have anyone that helps. I do domestic work for a living and I do it to send them to give them the best education that I could give them and to ensure that they have meals on their table but at the moment right now I cannot do anything.”
In recounting the day of the accident, the mother recalled that her children were their bridge when a neighbour passed and offered to take them for a drive.
The woman explained that the children were saying goodbye to their father, when the neighbour approached.
McDonald said she tried to find out where the neighbour was taking the kids.
“She said right at the Chinese in front to buy something for them and in less than 45 minutes, I got a call on my neighbour’s phone and I say I hope nobody calling me for stupidnest. When I go to the phone, there is where (somebody) told me not to panic that they meet up in an accident and my son unconscious and my daughter dead.”
She later learnt that it was not her daughter who passed away, but rather, it was another toddler.
The woman has to spend some $16,000 to take two of her children to a clinic in Georgetown. Now, she has to deal with her landlord who wants her out in three weeks.
“My child was going good; she just write Common Entrance and she in Form One at Canje Secondary School. She cannot go to school or anything due to how I cannot work. I have to stay home and look at her, my landlord say seeing that I can’t pay her the rent, I have to move from this home here.”
That shocking news was received on Monday and McDonald was given until January 31 to remove.
McDonald can be contacted on telephone numbers 609-8703 or 327-2024.
