A New Amsterdam youth was electrocuted yesterday afternoon after coming into contact with live wire while working on a utilty pole at Section B, Clonbrook, East Coast Demerara.
Dead is Andrea Fullerton, 21, of 155 Patrick Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice, who was an employee of Ramoutar and Sons Contracting Services, which had been contracted by the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) to do maintenance work.
The incident occurred sometime around 12.30 pm.
Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus, who is ‘C’ Division Commander, said police were told that Fullerton was clearing the utility pole of wires when he was shocked. Brutus explained that an unprotected part of Fullerton’s right arm came into contact with the live wire.
Stabroek News was told that upon coming into contact with the live wire, Fullerton screamed. A co-worker Nicholas Henry related to the police that after hearing the scream, he observed Fullerton in a lifeless position and immediately collaborated with other workers to remove him from the utility pole.
Fullerton was rushed to the CC Nicholson Hospital at Nabaclis, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Additional infromation gathered revealed that Fullerton was shocked between his wrist and elbow and police said an inspection of his body found suspected burn marks along the the inner part of his arm.
Efforts made to contact the Ramoutar and Sons Contracting Services for a comment proved futile.
The electrocution was the second such fatal industrial accident involving the company since last August.
In August last year, Orwayne Cozier, 24, of Lot 30 Dowding Street, Kitty, Georgetown, who was an employee of the Public Infrastructure Ministry (MPI), and Asif Azeez, 28, an employee of Ramoutar and Sons, were both shocked at Dryshore, Essequibo Coast.
Azeez and Cozier were picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to a hospital. Cozier succumbed while being transported to the hospital. Azeez, however regain-ed consciousness while in intensive care.
Police had said in that case that Cozier and Azeez had been chatting for approximately six minutes before they were shocked. Vibert Balgobin, one of the contracting firm’s employees, was on a utility pole trying to get a wire from one post to the next. As he was doing so, Cozier and Azeez were on the ground assisting by holding on to the spool rack that was feeding the wire to Balgobin. It was during this process, police said, that the wire made contact with a live Guyana Power and Light cable, jammed a transformer and shocked both Cozier and Azeez. Both men were sent flying and landed some distance away.
