A 15-year-old labourer was crushed to death on Sunday afternoon after he reportedly lost his balance and fell off a skidder at Bisaruni Backdam, Region 10.
Dead is Roy Odel Welchman.
Stabroek News understands that the incident occurred around 5:30 pm while Welchman and two of his colleagues were returning to their camp. Reports are that the men had just finished loading a truck with lumber, after which they decided to leave the backdam on the skidder.
While on their way out, the skidder reportedly hit a bump, resulting in Welchman, who was standing on the left side, losing balance. He fell and was run over by the skidder.
Welchman was rushed to the Kwakwani Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The police were alerted and Welchman’s body was examined, during which time bruises were seen to his head, eyes, left arm and back. His face was also swollen.
Welchman’s sister, who wished not to be named, yesterday explained to Stabroek News that she learnt of the incident after receiving a call from his colleagues. “They call when they come out and they mussy get signal and tell me he was in an accident and he dead,” the woman recalled. “From what I hear the skidder get a bounce like, in a hole it bounce like and he slip off,” she further noted.
She said that Welchman is not a full-time employee, but would travel to the backdam from time to time whenever he needed money. “Well he just go in for a load. It just a load they go in fah pull out…he does go fah you know…whenever they like want a lil hand and so, he does go,” she added.
