Boy, 12, crushed to death in Berbice, was “heart and soul” of school’s basketball team
Kind, courteous, and pleasant were some of the adjectives used to describe 12-year-old Justin Totaram, who was crushed to death in an accident on Wednesday.
Totaram hails from Reliance Settlement, East Canje, Berbice, and was a Grade Eight student at the New Amsterdam Secondary School - Multilateral. He was a budding basketball player preparing to participate in the upcoming Junior Basketball Tournament.
“Justin was a brilliant student who was deeply committed to his academic journey. He was the heart and soul of our under-16 basketball team and was working very hard to improve his basketball skills before his passing,” the school said in a Facebook post.
“He was eagerly looking forward to representing his school in the upcoming junior basketball tournament. Justin was a kind, caring, courteous, and pleasant student, and he was adored by all his friends and teachers. His impact on our lives, though brief, was significant. His death has left us all in a state of shock, and it will undoubtedly take some time to come to terms with.”
Based on reports, the 12-year-old boy died at about 16:00h on Wednesday on the Reliance Access Road after he was allegedly crushed to death by motor lorry GMM 5087.
This publication was informed that the motor lorry was proceeding south on the eastern drive lane while Totaram was walking in the same direction.
The lorry driver, a 64-year-old resident of Canefield, East Canje Berbice, told police he was making a left turn when he heard someone shouting at him to stop.
Upon doing so and exiting the vehicle, he observed the child lying under the lorry. The boy was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
