A 54-year-old welder died yesterday following a freak accident in which several tons of rice fell on him while he was welding at his place of employment at the John Fernandes Wharf on Water Street.

John Steele

According to reports, Timehri resident, John Steele, who is the Chief Welder/foreman at the Water Street location and who had been working there as a welder for some 16 years, was working close to a wall which was stacked with several 1.5-tonne bags of rice when tragedy struck.

One of the man’s colleagues told this newspaper yesterday that the father of nine was welding pieces of equipment sometime close to 2 pm yesterday afternoon when the wall, which was behind him, gave way. He said the wall was stacked with several bags of rice and he posited that the weight of the rice may have caused the wall to collapse suddenly. He said the man’s colleagues who were nearby managed to escape being injured by scrambling from the scene but, with his back turned to the collapsing wall, Steele was slow to react. He said the man’s neck was broken and several other parts of his body were badly damaged, noting that he died instantly. He was taken to a private hospital where he was pronounced dead by doctors there.

When this newspaper visited the Water Street location yesterday staff members were mum about the incident, some persons referring all queries to their  respective heads of department. Vendors and truck drivers close by told this newspaper that Steele’s death caught many of them by surprise. They said the welder was a very quiet person who was well loved by many persons, noting that he had numerous friends in the Water Street area. One vendor was reduced to tears as she related her friendship with Steele. As Stabroek News  was in the area  close to 3 pm yesterday, a team of police officers arrived at the location as they carried out investigations into the incident.

At Steele’s Lot 54,Ice House Road, Timehri home last evening, the mood was sombre, as numerous relatives and friends in the quiet community poured into his yard to voice support for the man’s wife, Fridell Steele and her nine children, five of whom are attending school, the eldest being 27 and the youngest being 8 years old. The man’s wife told this newspaper that her husband was a “very loving, very caring and very quiet” person who worked hard to maintain his family. She said she and her husband had been married since 1982.
She said her husband was a dedicated worker who travelled to and from his home to Georgetown, six days a week. As regards the incident, she said she received a call from the company yesterday afternoon, the caller on the other end informing her that her husband had died following an accident. She said  that “accidents happen” and noted that the man’s benefits with the company were “in order”, adding that she would expect the company to  honour their legal  obligations, since the company had been supportive to her husband throughout his years of service with them. As Stabroek News  spoke to Steele’s wife, his sons and daughters gathered to give support to their mother, some relatives describing the man’s sons as having “the splitting image of their father”.

John Steele leaves to mourn his wife and nine children and his body is currently at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital.  He is expected to be buried sometime next week.