Two days after the bridge leading into New Providence collapsed killing a TPL truck driver it is unclear when the structure will be rebuilt and the survivor of the tragedy has recounted his dramatic rescue.
The bridge falls under the NDC in the area.
When Stabroek News made contact with NDC chairman, Dewan Roshan it was referred to the overseer, David Sugrim. Roshan said that the overseer is the one who is supposed to be in constant contact with officials from the Ministry of Public Works and would therefore have details on the rebuilding plans. When Stabroek News contacted Sugrim he said that he had not heard from any officials and referred this newspaper to Government Engineer Walter Willis who in turn said that he was not authoritised to speak. Repeated calls to Minister Robeson Benn proved futile.
Residents of the community had said they were aware that the bridge had to be fixed and had lobbied for this to the extent of raising a portion of the sum needed but the Ministry of Public Works was still to take it on.
In the meantime, the NDC has erected a temporary walkway for villagers with pieces of wood retrieved from the broken bridge though no information was forthcoming about how long residents should expect to be inconvenienced. In the meantime Stabroek News understands that the NDC has agreed to provide security to guard residents’ vehicles.
Meanwhile survivor of the accident, Imran Hassan is recovering at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“I think I woulda die,” Hassan told Stabroek News on Tuesday about his dramatic rescue on Monday when he was pinned for about two hours under the truck. Hassan said that he is in a lot of pain and although he has no broken body parts, the doctors are monitoring his recovery carefully; his lower back in particular.
Hassan told Stabroek News from his Ward A2 Georgetown hospital bed that as the bridge gave way he thought of jumping from the truck but the thought that he could not swim held him back. “When I mek up meh mind to jump the truck already deh pun me,” he said, explaining that the windshield and the back of the cabin then caved in, trapping him.
Hassan said that he was conscious during the two-hour rescue and though he had started to feel faint, the arrival of his father and his cousins bolstered him and gave him the strength to keep his eyes open and not fade into unconsciousness. “I remember telling them ‘ow y’all cut off meh foot,” Hassan said, as public-spirited citizens worked to free him from the twisted metal. The man recalled that the bridge started to collapse as the tray of the truck which contained the cement moved onto it. He said the truck jerked forward as driver Ramesh “Fenton” Ramratan accelerated in a futile bid to make it off the bridge but it quickly crumbled and the truck rolled back and toppled into the canal.
When this newspaper asked him about a sign bearing the weight limit, allegedly posted at the bridge Hassan said no sign was there.
“Fenton is a careful driver, he wouldn’t a cross if the sign de say we weight too heavy,” he said. However, he recalled that he had mentioned to the driver that the bridge did not look safe, though the man did not heed his warning.
Vidya Ramratan, the widow of the driver, told Stabroek News that TPL has undertaken to pay all expenses for her husband’s wake and funeral. They have also pledged to provide assistance to the family in the future. However the details of that will be dealt with after the funeral, the woman said.
When this newspaper returned to the scene on Tuesday many persons heading into Mocha Arcadia stopped to take a look at the debris from the collapsed bridge and the truck still in the trench. Many of them said they had noticed that the bridge needed to be repaired or replaced and were amazed that the authorities had not noticed. One man commented that it “isn’t too much of a wonder,” while another added that “Is best we don’t pay taxes.”
