Tragedy strikes at West Basseterre By-Pass Road Project
…One Dead, two critical

By Stanford Conway
Editor-in-Chief-SKNVibes.com

Structure of the bridge before its collapse

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - TRAGEDY struck today at the West Basseterre By-Pass Project when a bridge under construction collapsed killing one man and leaving two others critically injured in the Joseph N France General Hospital.

Dead is St. Vincent and the Grenadines national Allick Toney and injured are Guyanese nationals Mortland Watterton and Ian ‘Shatta’ Warde, all of whom were employed by WIN Aggregate Ltd., working on the West Basseterre Bypass Project.

According to Mark Moses, a Supervisor of WIN Aggregate, at about 11:30 this morning while pouring concrete on a section of a bridge under construction at the West Basseterre By-Pass Road Project, the structure collapsed killing Toney and injuring Watterton and Warde in the process.

“We were pouring concrete from the eastern side to the western side of the bridge. The structure is divided into three sections and the first section had already been covered with the concrete mixture. However, while the mixture was being poured on the second section, which is in the centre of the bridge, the structure collapsed,” Moses said.

The Supervisor explained that while the concrete mixture was being poured on the second section, five employees were on the first

Structure of the bridge after collapsing

section leveling the mixture while Toney, who was at the time having his lunch, was among the two injured men standing on the western outer edge of the structure.

He further explained that while the structure was collapsing, the five employees hung on to the steel frames and were assisted to safety, but the dead man and the injured fell approximately 25 feet to the ground.

“The five men who were leveling the cement mixture on the first section held on to the steel frames as the structure was collapsing and others who were nearby pulled them to safety.
 
The collapse started from the centre of the structure and Tony, who was closer to the edge, was the first man to be drawn forward, followed by Watterton and Warde,” Moses said.

He also stated that the area upon which Toney, Watterton and Warde stood, were materials affixed to the bottom of the “main deck”…and “because the structure was collapsing from the centre, the momentum drew them forward. However, being closer to the edge, Toney first fell and was covered by the cement mixture while the other two were trapped”.

Moses, who declared that he was physically okay but mentally and psychologically affected by the tragic incident, noted that Watterton and Warde were assigned duties under the structure but at the time of the incident were above on a brief visit for further instructions.

Labour Commissioner Spencer Amory, who was at the scene, told SKNVibes that the tragedy would have to be reported to the Labour Department via an accident and notification form, after which the Department’s investigative machinery would be put into motion.

Minister of Public Works, Utilities, Transport and Posts, the Hon. Dr. Asim Martin also visited the scene and extended his sympathy and that of his Ministry to the family of the deceased and voiced his concern about the well-being of the injured men.