Canaan family wants for justice to be served

The family of 34-year-old Tyrone Crawford of Canaan, is calling for justice to be served, following the death of their loved one. Family members say they are looking at their legal options at this time. Wife of the deceased Giselle Crawford, told this paper she remains in shock following the incident. The waitress attached to the Blue Haven Hotel, said her husband was concerned about the electrical wires for several years now.

“Tyrone told me about his concerns about the wires. T&TEC has been negligent in the matter, which should have been dealt with before my husband died. Now he is dead, action is being taken,” Crawford said.

The distraught woman said her three-year old daughter and her seven year-old son have been asking for their father.

“My daughter keeps asking for her daddy. She took his cell phone saying daddy is coming home soon, while I explained to my seven year-old son what happened to his daddy, and read the various newspaper articles on the incident,” Crawford said.

Crawford said she remains blank, and does not know how to feel in going forward, but continues to put her trust in God. Meanwhile, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission has absolved itself from being blamed for the matter. Corporate Communications Manager Annabelle Brasnell says the Infrastructure Division is to be blamed for the death of Crawford.

“Our records revealed that no reports were made by the DIPU in the past to relocate their private infrastructure. The electrical infrastructure where the incident occurred, belongs to the DIPU; that is, all overhead lines and poles within the compound are the private property and responsibility of the DIPU,” Brasnell said.

Brasnell noted however , while the management and staff of the Commission are saddened by the incident, members of the public should remain vigilant.

“Members of the public need to be extra vigilant and perform the necessary safety checks when working around overhead lines and electrical equipment,” Brasnell said. 

In an immediate response, Infrastructure Secretary Hilton Sandy said his Division is not responsible for the high tension wires.

“I do not know where this blame-game is going, but T&TEC should ask who is responsible for the high tension wires. I will meet with my technicians on Monday on the matter,” Sandy promised.

Infrastructure Secretary Hilton Sandy, speaking at the weekly media briefing on Thursday has since announced that T&TEC Officials have made a recommendation to the Division, to raise the electrical lines on the compound and three poles are to be implemented by weekend. 

“New designs are to be carried out by T&TEC with longer poles to be planted in the area,’ Sandy said. 

Crawford died on Wednesday, when he was electrocuted on the compound of the Infrastructure Division at around 7:30 am. According to reports, a tray of a truck came into contact with an electrical wire and Crawford was thrown to the ground. 

Employees told Tobago News they have been complaining for the past 13 years about the live wires in the area but to no avail.

Source:thetobagonews

T&TEC Backs Out Leaving THA's DIPU Responsible for Tyrone Crawford Deaths

The Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) is not responsible for the electrical infrastructure on the compound of the Tobago House of Assembly’s Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (DIPU) in Scarborough, Tobago, where 34-year-old Tyrone Crawford was electrocuted earlier this week.

Crawford, a lorry loader, and a father of two died when the cab of the truck he was touching came into contact with an electrical ground wire at the DIPU.

In a release yesterday, T&TEC stated that preliminary investigations into Tuesday’s incident revealed that the electrical infrastructure where the incident occurred belongs to the DIPU and that all overhead lines and poles on the compound are private property and therefore the responsibility of the DIPU. 

Source:trinidadexpress

Tobago Father of Two Electrocuted at Work

Tyrone Crawford

An investigation has been launched into the death of 34-year-old lorry loader Tyrone Crawford, who was electrocuted on the compound of the Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities in Scarborough at around 7.30 a.m. yesterday.

According to officials of the Infrastructure Division, Crawford, a lorry loader for the past 12 years, was standing with his hand touching the wing mirror of a dump truck while the driver, who was sitting in the cab, raised the tray of the truck.

The tray came into contact with an electrical ground wire and Crawford, a father of two from Canaan, was thrown to the ground. He was assisted by his colleagues, who called emergency officials, and was taken to Scarborough General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Keith Sandy, an employee with the Division and friend of the deceased, said he was shaken over the incident as only moments before he had a bowl of soup with Crawford.

A grief-stricken Sandy, with tears in his eyes, said for the past 13 years employees have been calling for T&TEC to remove the live wires.

“But what I’m saying...T&TEC have to be blamed for that. We ask them long time, they never come. Why is now they come when somebody die!”

Sandy said it could have been him as on previous occasions he almost came into contact with the live wires.

“Now the fella in the truck, he aint go notice, he just trying to get the truck clean to load, but look what happen. Everybody with white helmet down here. The man die, could they bring him back?”

Sandy said the Division of Infrastructure was aware of the matter. 

“The safety officer know about these things, because he come and let us know what is your safety...your vest, helmet and so on.”

Handel Beckles, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) assistant Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, told the Express it was a sad day for the division as one of their own has been lost.

In offering condolences to Crawford’s family, Beckles said an investigation has been launched by the division’s safety officer and counselling is being provided to the family and colleagues by the THA Division of Health.

“Some are saying this was reported to T&TEC over 13 years ago...I have no knowledge. We have to investigate to see where things are.”

Head of T&TEC Tobago Garnish Narine also visited the scene. He said T&TEC has launched an investigation into the incident.

Source:Trinidadexpress