A DRIVER trying to help the family of a child who died in an accident with his car, was killed in a vicious attack at the Georgetown Hospital yesterday.

Neville Chin, 59, of Lot 168, Earl's Court, La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara, died in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital after a young man struck him in the head with a large piece of wood, hospital officials said.

Witnesses said Chin had taken the grandmother of the child who died in the Wednesday accident to the hospital to identify her body when he was attacked.

Relatives said five-year-old Kimberly McGarrell of High Dam, Mahaicony, died after she was struck by the car Chin was driving Wednesday on the Mahaicony public road.

Reports said he immediately took the child to the Georgetown Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Yesterday, as Chin was leaving the hospital after taking the girl's grandmother, Mrs. Eslyn Chichester, accompanied by a Police officer to identify her body, he was hit in his head with a four by six feet piece of wood by a young man as he was about to enter his car in New Market Street.

He was unconscious for some time after the blow and later died in the Intensive Care Unit, officials said.

The attacker was subdued and taken into custody as hospital staff rushed to help the fallen driver.

Relatives of Kimberly said they did not know the attacker.

Mrs. Chichester recounted that she had been conversing with Chin at the hospital.

She said she heard a sudden cracking sound and when she turned around, the man had already hit Chin on his head and was advancing towards her in a menacing manner.

But the Police officer with her intervened and immediately arrested him, she said.

She told the Chronicle at her home in Cottage, Mahaicony that Chin was very nice to the family and had promised to assist with the child's funeral expenses.

The child had gone on the road accompanying her elder brother and sister to get transportation as they were going out.

As she was about to cross the road to return home she was hit by the car, reports said.

Chichester said she got the dreadful message at around 11:00 hrs and immediately left for the Georgetown Hospital.

She said she did not get to see her granddaughter, who she knew was already dead.

She said she eventually left without seeing Kimberly, who was taken to the mortuary.

Chichester described her granddaughter as a loving, quiet and beautiful child.

"She was everybody's pet", one relative added.

The former Helena Primary School student's mother, Mrs. Jenny McGarrel was too overcome with grief to speak yesterday.

"She was an angel to me", her father, Mr. Livan McGarrel said of Kimberly.

He said he encountered no problems with her at home and school, and she will be greatly missed.

McGarrel said he thought his wife would go mad when she received the news and had to be consoled by relatives.

Kimberly is also survived by her 13-year-old sister Lonelle; 11-year-old brother, Gavin; and 9-year-old brother Keith.