Harridath Deolatsingh worked long, hard hours so that he could finish his family home, but his plans came to a tragic end on Tuesday when he was crushed by the asphalt paver he was operating. Deolatsingh, 43, an operator with DJ Contractors of Abdool Village, Penal, was on a Ministry of Works and Infrastructure road paving project at Jewel Drive, Palmiste.
A police report stated that around 5 pm, he was driving the machine up a hill when it appeared that the gear lever stuck, causing it to reverse uncontrollably into a resident’s driveway. He fell out the paver, which then rolled over his body before stopping in a drain. Yesterday, officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Authority were on site as an investigation had been started.
Tears flowed at Deolatsingh’s home yesterday where his mother Polly struggled to believe that her only son was gone. His three-year-old son Jeevan played with other relatives, too young to understand. His wife, Radhica Singh, said she last saw her husband at 7 am when he dropped her off at work. She said when she called him around 3 pm, he told her that he could not take her home because he was working. When she called again to find out when he would be home, it was then she learned of the accident.
“When I called him after 5 (pm), his partner answered the phone and said ‘Japs’ got in an accident, he was under the spreader and an ambulance was on the way. I said I would meet them at the hospital, but when I reached there, a police officer hugged me and told me, ‘these things happened.’ I did not even know that he had died,” Singh said.
She said her husband had started working with the contractor only two months ago and was experienced in operating equipment. While Deolatsingh’s employers have offered to cover his funeral expenses, Singh said she did not know if she would be able to finish the house, which was still under construction. She said they had moved into the house just a year ago.