BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE driver of a minibus and his three passengers as well as a female pedestrian this mid-day (Apr. 15) narrowly escaped injury when the northern wooden fence of the new Social Security building under construction fell on the vehicle.
Owner and driver of a blue Toyota Hiace minibus registered number HA83 (Brothers), Zeke Boone of Old Road, told this publication that he and three passengers were returning to their various residences after having breakfast at the St. Kitts Marriott Hotel when the incident occurred.
“At approximately 12 o’clock today, I was driving west along Liverpool Row. My girlfriend was sitting on the passenger’s side next to me while her daughter and my friend were in the back of the vehicle. As we were approaching the junction of Church Street and Liverpool Row, my girlfriend said it seemed as if the wooden fence of the Social Security building was swaying.
“I immediately looked in that direction and came to the same conclusion.
Instinctively, I tried to avoid the fence as it started to fall, but I could not have pulled to the right because another vehicle was coming from the opposite direction and we would have had a head-on collision. So I remained close to the fence and it fell on the left side of the vehicle.”
Boone explained that about two seconds before the fence came crashing down, a female was seen walking between his vehicle and the fence and she also narrowly escaped injuries.
He also explained that shortly before the fence fell, he had contemplated accelerating but another vehicle was at the time travelling south along College Street Ghaut and he may have crashed into it.
That vehicle escaped without any damage as the fence in College Street Ghaut also fell on the roadway.
Quick thinking by the male passenger in Boone’s vehicle avoided the fence from falling on the left centre and rear of the bus.
“After the fence fell on the left front of the vehicle, my friend jumped out and was trying to prevent it from falling on the side of the vehicle, but it was too heavy for him. So, I went to his assistance and braced it with two long pieces of steel, and that prevent it from causing more damage to my vehicle.”
Shortly after the incident, members of the Traffic Department arrived and they temporarily closed the flow of traffic within the area of the incident and took a statement from Boone. Two senior employees of the St. Kitts-Nevis Social Security were also present at the scene.
It was suspected that one of the employees had summoned the contractor, and at 1:54 p.m. a pick-up arrived with a number of construction workers who lifted the fence off the vehicle, which showed signs of minor damage to the upper left door and roof.
