A tourist was yesterday injured by falling debris from the “The City Food Court” building under construction at the junction of Robb and Camp streets.
The injured man, who did not wish to be identified, was cradling a visibly swollen arm and clutching his back when Stabroek News arrived at the scene.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 yesterday morning when the man attempted to enter his vehicle, which was parked along Robb Street. He related that as he approached the vehicle, he felt a sudden pain in his arm and back and a few seconds later he realised that he had been hit by falling construction material. Apart from the injury sustained by the tourist, the parked vehicle was also damaged.
It was observed that there was a visible dent on the rail of the tray and that the paint was also scratched.
The workers at the construction site were overheard blaming the injured man, saying he was at fault for parking near the building. These comments were reiterated by a representative of the business to be sited at the spot, who appeared at the scene shortly after the incident. The representative refused to identify himself and used a series of expletives while attempting to chase the Stabroek News reporter from the scene.
He continued to use expletives as he spoke to the workmen on duty and reprimanded them for their carelessness. He was, however, overheard telling the injured man that he should have known better. Out of what appeared to be frustration, the tourist exclaimed that he did not want any problems but he said that he believed that if parking was indeed prohibited, then “you should have gotten permission to barricade the premises.”
The tourist, who hails from the United States, drove off while exclaiming that the incident had marred his vacation.
Approximately half an hour after the incident, efforts were made by a construction worker to barricade the premises. There were concrete blocks layered along the road with wooden planks laid across them.
