Christmas tears — ‘Loving father’ killed in freak accident

FATHER of three, Siew Sohan, was working extra jobs to ensure that his family enjoyed the festive yuletide season.

However, tragedy struck Sunday when Sohan, a backhoe operator, was killed in a freak accident when he went to repair a punctured tractor tyre. Sohan’s grieving relatives described him as a hard working man who loved his family deeply. According to Sohan’s son-in-law Haresh Gopaul, Sohan, 44, had gone to Crawford tyre shop at St Mary’s Junction, Freeport, to repair the tyre which was punctured while he was clearing a piece of land. “He and another man were pressuring the tyre when it blew up and the tyre burst through the galvanise roof. He was pitched up through the roof together with the tyre and fell back down on the windscreen of a van,” Gopaul said.

He added that the windscreen of the van shattered after Sohan fell some 20 feet onto it. The huge tyre remained on the roof. “When we reach down there he was conscious but bleeding through his nostrils and mouth. He had multiple fractures and his head had a deep cut,” Gopaul added. Gopaul said an ambulance arrived 45 minutes later and took Sohan to the Couva Hospital, where he was treated and transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital. He died around 5.15 pm, while undergoing emergency surgery.

An employee at the tyre shop told Newsday when Sohan and the other man came with the tyre, they were told that there were no workers to assist them. Sohan’s common-law-wife, Gracie Rampersad, went to witness the post-mortem yesterday and was not home when Newsday visited their Calcutta No 3, Mc Bean, Couva home. The last of the couple’s three children, Rohan, 13, said his father asked him to accompany him (Sohan) on Sunday but Rohan said he could not, since he had to buy groceries. Rohan described his father as a hard worker who usually spent weekends doing private jobs.

Gopaul said Sohan was also working extra jobs since Christmas was near and he wanted to ensure his family were provided for during the festive season. However, his untimely death has cast a dark gloom over the family. Sohan had also planned to complete construction of the family home next year. The post-mortem revealed that Sohan died from multiple injuries due to blunt force trauma. PCs Othello and Nelson of the Freeport Police Station are investigating.