Police in Regional Division #10 are investigating an incident that resulted in the death of Cledwin Richards, called ‘Fatboy’ or ‘Junior’, a 43-year-old labourer of Soesdyke-Linden Highway, which occurred at about 11:10 am today at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Ground in Mackenzie, Linden.
The police say that the scene was visited less than 10 minutes later by Deputy Superintendent Austin, Detective Corporal Greene, Woman Corporal Layne-Burgess, and a party of police ranks.
Enquiries so far disclosed that Richards was working along with a 65-year-old operator from Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, who is contracted to drive piles in the ground at Mackenzie Sports Club, where construction works are ongoing.
According to the police, Richards was a labourer at the worksite and was at the time ‘preparing’ the timber piles to be driven into the earth. Reports are that he was walking on one of six piles that were packed on each other on the northern side of the ground. While doing so, he allegedly slipped off the piles and fell into another pile that was resting on the ground. The pile that he was walking on subsequently tumbled and fell on his head, pinning him down.
With the assistance of other workers at the site, the pile was removed. The motionless body of Richard, who was not equipped with any safety gear, was picked up and escorted to the Linden Hospital Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival by Doctor Ross.
The body is awaiting a post-mortem examination. No foul play is suspected.
