Family claims negligence in death of father at rice mill

Jermaine Hercules and his girlfriend welcomed their first child just eight days before he died tragically, falling to his death from the roof of a rice mill last Friday.

His family is of the strong belief that it was negligence and unsafe practices at the mill that resulted in his death.

Hercules’ mother, Andrea Whatley, spoke with the News Room and claimed that Jermaine was not wearing any safety gear on the roof when he fell some 30 feet to the ground.

“My son is a certified welder; what happened there is negligence.

“He was just 28 years old, full of life; he was so happy to be a father,” Andrea said.

She explained that her son has been employed since 2018 at A. Cayume Hakh & Sons, Rice Millers & Exporters, located at Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara.

Andrea said she received a call just after 09:00 hrs. on Friday, September 20, and was informed that her son had fallen and was taken to the Mahaicony Hospital.

“They called and told me what happened; I went straight into emergency. My son didn’t die; they had an ambulance and stretcher outside waiting to take him to Georgetown,” Andrea explained.

But first, the doctors told her that her son had to be stable. Andrea said she was informed that when Jermaine arrived at the hospital, he was vomiting and mumbling words.

While she was with her son in the emergency room, he started ‘crashing’ and subsequently passed away.

Her son’s boss was also at the hospital, and Andrea claimed she inquired about whether her son was wearing safety gear on the roof.

“I asked him how high my son was; he said 30-something feet, but he wasn’t sure. And I asked him if my son had on a strap [protective gear], and he said they don’t use straps when they’re that high up there,” Andrea told the News Room.

Andrea said her son was planning to marry his girlfriend and had recently and successfully completed a machine operator course; he was awaiting his licence to start working as a machine operator.

“This is very hard; it is very hard and heartbreaking for me. He was a jolly person; everybody speaks nicely about him. As long as he knew you, if he passed you a hundred times, he would say good morning and call your name,” Andrea said.

The Ministry of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health Department has since commenced an investigation into the fatal incident.

The ministry, in a statement, said the Occupational Safety and Health Officer responsible for East Coast Demerara, Ms Johana Vaughn, conducted a preliminary investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident and make recommendations to prevent similar occurrences.