Teen repairman dies after fall from rice mill’s roof

A young repairman lost his life yesterday when he fell from the roof of the Ancient County Rice Mill, in Berbice.

Leroy Bennett, 19, of Alness Village, Corentyne was a maintenance man at the mill, where he was fixing pipes on the roof yesterday afternoon.

He fell some 45 feet.

Bennett was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Leroy Bennett
Leroy Bennett

The accident occurred around 2.30pm.

When Stabroek News arrived at the scene, police had stopped persons from entering the compound. Commander of ‘B’ Division, Ian Amsterdam later confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the teen’s death.

It is not yet clear what may have caused the teen to fall over.

Rameshwar Chanilall, the manager of the mill, said Bennett was carrying out his daily duties when he fell.

Cora Bennett, the mother of the teen, described him as a loving, jovial person.

According to the woman, yesterday afternoon she received a telephone call from her son’s boss, who informed her that he fell about 30 feet but everything was going to be okay. However, Bennett, in tears, related that when she arrived at the hospital, her son was lying lifeless as doctors worked on him. They subsequently informed her that no heartbeat was found and that he was dead.