By Shuntel Glasgow
The man who was crushed to death last Thursday on the Canal #2 Road while a roller was being transported in a lorry was the sole breadwinner in his family and had been expecting to have his favourite meal that day
Mala Lachman, the widow of 57-year-old Pharbodan Rampersaud, told Stabroek News that her family has been shattered following her husband’s tragic death. Rampersaud was a security guard at DSC Construction.
Rampersaud would usually work from 6:30 pm to 5:30 am. However, on Thursday afternoon, the manager had to transport the machine to the construction site and he was called to duty at about 4:30 pm. Rampersaud promised Lachman to return home for his favourite dish and then return to work later the afternoon. Lachman said she prepared catfish curry for her husband and he told her that the food was too hot for him to eat at the time.
“He said he would have come home, eat and then go back. He was just helping the boss man to bring the machine to take it in the scheme. Me did done cook what he like, but he said the food hot and he would come back just now. Me nah want see back catfish curry no more”, she said.
Lachman said she received a call on Thursday afternoon about 17:15hrs from the manager of the company who stated that Rampersaud was involved in an accident and that he would be rushed to the Best Hospital.
The bereaved wife said she fainted and at about 17:30 hours, the manager returned a call and told her that Rampersaud had died. Lachman said she suspected that her husband had succumbed on the road, although the manager initially withheld this information.
A post-mortem examination was conducted and revealed that Rampersaud was crushed in the chest.
Lachman said her late husband, dedicated nearly three years to his job while also managing responsibilities as a part-time farmer. As the sole breadwinner for their family, he provided for Lachman and their five children, often entrusting her with his entire salary to ensure their well-being. Their 32-year marriage was marked by love and sacrifice, though it came with challenges; Lachman recalls how Rampersaud encouraged her to focus on raising their children by restricting her from working after the birth of their first child.
The woman said while her relationship was not perfect, she rallied with her husband through challenges. Lachman said she is faced with sleepless nights. The construction company has since reached out to the family to render assistance, she said. The family opined that they should be compensated for their loss.
“I couldn’t sleep for days. It take me a while to accept that he dead. When I realise that he not coming home, then I accept. It’s hard but I’m trying. He never want me to work.”
The Ministry of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department has initiated an investigation into the workplace accident.
It said in a statement that preliminary findings indicate that at approximately 16:55 hours, Deodat Charran, the employer and driver along with Rampersaud, was transporting a machine roller in a lorry from the northern carriageway on Canal #2 Road to the DSC Construction site located at Lot 1321 Belle West Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara.
During the process, Rampersaud became trapped between the front of the truck’s cargo body and the machine roller. A passerby noticed the incident and immediately alerted the driver, who then stopped the lorry and confirmed the situation.
Rampersaud was assisted by the driver and concerned citizens before being transported to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The investigation is being led by Occupational Safety and Health Officer, Johana Vaughn.
