Relatives of a 36-year-old worker who was fatally struck by a steel beam at his workplace, yesterday, are calling for a full-scale investigation into the incident
Shane Diaram, a lorryman at Dansteel Ltd, was pronounced dead on arrival at the San Fernando General Hospital shortly after the accident occurred.
Preliminary police investigations revealed that around 12.27 pm, a forklift was loading steel beams on a truck.
Investigators were told that Diaram was fixing a pallet on the truck when the beam fell on him. He collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.
Diaram’s mother, Esther Diaram, was too distraught to speak with the media at the hospital. The last of three children, Diaram lived with his mother and common-law-wife at Forest Reserve, Fyzabad. His older brother and sister live in England and the United States, the Guardian was told.
In a brief interview, his uncle Anthony Manorath said Diaram had worked with the company for the past seven years. He said a truck driver who worked with Diaram called his mother and informed her about the incident around 1 pm.
His mother and other relatives rushed to the hospital, but they met Diaram’s lifeless body lying on a stretcher.
“He had a laceration of his left side temple,” Manorath said.
Manorath described his nephew as a hardworking, honest, obedient person who never refused to do anything asked of him. He said Diaram had recently suffered a back injury on the job. Another relative who did not give his name said Diaram had been assigned to light duties for about two months as a result of the injury. He questioned why Diaram was doing heavy duties when he met his death.
“He is a person he will never say ‘no.’ He was always willing and helpful,” the relative said.
Senior policemen told the T&T Guardian that the report about the incident was not immediately made to the police. The police only became aware something had occurred after they were bombarded with calls from the media about the incident, they said.
When T&T Guardian visited the company yesterday it was closed. A security officer said he could not give any information and a company official said to come back another time for a response.
Ag Sgt Ramroop of the San Fernando CID is investigating.