A former soldier was killed on Saturday after he was struck and dragged some distance by a motor lorry along the Number 4 Village Public Road, West Coast Berbice (WCB), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). The dead man has been identified as Steve McAlmont, 30, of Zee Lust, (Number 4 Village), WCB. Based on reports received, McAlmont was standing near the shoulder of the roadway at Number 4 Village when he was struck by the lorry and subsequently dragged some distance to Edderton. McAlmont’s brother, Tony Khan, on Sunday recalled how he learnt of the tragedy while at work. “Well, I was in Georgetown working when I received the phone call from my cousin and neighbours saying that my brother just got knocked down and he passed away. So far, they relieved me from work and I ended up coming up, but after I came, everything was over,” Khan related.

Khan said he subsequently tried to ascertain what had happened, but was only able to obtain limited information. From what was related to him, McAlmont had visited a shop shortly before the accident. “So far, I get to understand that my brother went to the shop and when he came out from the shop, he stood up near to the road corner with an umbrella covering him. He made one step with his foot and shortly after that, they said they heard, ‘Blam!’ And that was all. By the time they looked, they saw the body on the ground,” he said. Khan stressed that he was not present when the accident occurred and could therefore only relate what he had been told. He related that he was informed that the driver of the lorry had been taken into Police custody, but noted that he had not seen the driver. Khan visited the Police station on Sunday as the family sought to deal with matters surrounding McAlmont’s death. By the time Khan returned to Berbice on Saturday, McAlmont’s body had already been taken to the mortuary and he did not get an opportunity to see it. However, he was shown a photograph of his brother’s body following the accident. Describing what he observed in the photograph, Khan said one of McAlmont’s feet appeared to have been broken, while the back of the foot was badly scraped. He also said the other foot had an open injury. “Well, so far, I see the picture, his foot break. I see his feet back scrape out, the next foot that was open, and that’s all I see from the picture that I see,” Khan related.

Speaking about his brother’s life, Khan said McAlmont had held different jobs over the years. “Well, he was in the army. He left the army and he started working at a place before he stopped work, and then from there he started doing construction work,” Khan explained. Prior to his death, McAlmont had been living with his father. Khan described his brother as generally carefree, noting that, like most families, they had occasional differences. McAlmont was one of eight siblings – five brothers and three sisters. His father is alive, while his mother had previously passed away. Khan said the family has been left deeply hurt by McAlmont’s sudden death. However, he said relatives are awaiting the outcome of the investigation before forming conclusions about the circumstances surrounding the accident. “By right, the investigation has to go out to know what went on yesterday. So, that’s all I can say for now,” Khan said.