Workers and the RBPF attempting to recover the body.
NASSAU, The Bahamas--A 51-year-old man died on Thursday in an industrial accident on New Providence, the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) said.
Police said the man was operating an excavator at a construction site off Tonique Williams-Darling Highway at 6:00pm when a portion of the hillside collapsed and both he and the machine were buried beneath the rubble.
Andrew Pinder, an Abaco native who was a volunteer firefighter with EMT training, was at home when he saw news of the accident and the search for the missing man. He rushed out to lend assistance.
“I’m also in this field, so being a fellow operator, it touches home,” he told reporters at the scene.
“I noticed what was going on and I noticed my presence or skills could be used. So, I came out and it just happened where we were able to assist and give the family some type of closure.”
Pinder and others worked for hours at the site before eventually locating the excavator’s cab under boulders.
“Once we located the cab we went in with the hand tools because we knew that’s where he should be,” Pinder said.
While he had been hopeful that the man may have been trapped in an air pocket, the search ultimately led to heartbreak when the team saw that the cab had been crushed.
On Friday, officials continued their attempts to recover the body.
Mark Turnquest, who worked with the victim at the site, identified him as Kingsley.
“We were supposed to be out here this morning working,” Turnquest said on Saturday.
“He was preparing for us. It’s like Kingsley almost scarified himself for us. It could have been seven or eight of us underneath there gone. Goosebumps are still on me now talking to you.”
Turnquest said the driver of a tractor trailer, who arrived at the site on Thursday, was the first to raise alarm over the incident.
“He came to pick up the machine but didn’t see no machine,” he said. “So, he called the big boss and said, ‘Hey, the machine isn’t here.’ The big boss said, ‘The machine have to be there.’ So they used the GPS locator, and it showed that the machine was still here. They put one and one together and saw all the rubble that had fallen and realised he was underneath there, trapped.”
When contacted, police officials could not say whether the body was recovered.
The incident led many to question the safety protocols that were in place on the site. There was also some confusion about the company that the victim was working for at the time of the accident, with some reporting that he was an employee of Bahamas Hot Mix (BHM).
In a statement, however, the company said that was not the case.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the family and loved ones affected by this devastating event,” it said. “BHM would like to correct inaccurate information that was broadcast by a local television station in Nassau. Contrary to what was reported, the deceased was not an employee of BHM or any affiliates. BHM is not involved in any work at this site.
“BHM takes these inaccuracies seriously. BHM stands firmly by its longstanding commitment to the highest health and safety standards in the industry. The health and safety of our employees is our top priority, and we pride ourselves on maintaining rigorous protocols to protect the people who are the foundation of our company.” ~ The Nassau Guardian ~
