Man falls to his death

YESTERDAY the Port of Port-of-Spain registered its second death by accident in two days. Dead is Marcus McDavid Arthur, of Beetham Gardens, employed with Udecott. On Wednesday Sanjeev Rampersad was crushed to death by a crane. According to eyewitness reports around 10.45 am, Arthur was on the roof of a building at Shed 2, which was being demolished when he saw a man on the ground removing his bicycle. He called out to the man who continued to remove the bike.

Arthur then unstrapped his harness and attempted to reach a nearby scaffolding when he fell through plastic roofing,  hitting his head on the debris below. He was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital in an unconscious state, where he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing surgery. Arthur suffered a broken neck and fractured skull. When contacted, Port Authority Public Relations Officer Betty-Ann Gibbons disclaimed any responsibility for the death and directed us to Udecott, whose officials refused to comment. In the other Port fatality, Horace Rampersad is accusing the Port of  “gross negligence” in the death of his son Sanjeev and is calling on the Port to not only assist in the funeral expenses but also for the financial support of his son’s six-month-old daughter Zephra.

“Sanjeev, always spoke about the dangers of working on the Port and the possibility he could be killed and now look what has happened. “My son was supposed to get married in two months. I am not financially well-off, the Port will have to take some of the responsibility.” Sanjeev, a tally clerk at the Port was crushed to death by a crane while at work. Following a service at the family’s Maraj Avenue, home in San Juan at 9 am tomorrow, Sanjeev will be cremated at the St James Crematorium in his wedding suit. He will be cremated on the same day he would have turned 23.