Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
Devastated over the loss of 20-year-old Deshawn Joseph after he was struck and run over by a garbage truck, his family believes his death was caused by carelessness.
“I want justice for my son,” lamented Joseph’s father, Shawn Blackburn, at his Claxton Bay home yesterday, shortly after he returned from viewing his son’s body at the Forensic Science Centre in Port-of-Spain.
Hours earlier, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in a statement, expressed condolences to the family and loved ones.
Saying she was saddened by his death, Persad-Bissessar said, “I wish to express my sincere condolences to the loved ones of 20-year-old Deshawn Joseph, who tragically lost his life in a freak accident on Tuesday night.”
She noted that he left behind a grieving family, including his girlfriend, who is four months pregnant with their child.
“It is truly heartbreaking that a young man went out to earn an honest living to care for his family and never returned home. May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may God grant strength, comfort and healing to his loved ones during this painful time of grief,” she said.
Joseph, who worked for a company in Claxton Bay for about two years, was collecting garbage along Ragoonath Street, Kelly Village, Caroni, sometime after 9 pm on Tuesday.
CCTV footage showed Joseph jumping from the rear of the truck while it was reversing and walking briefly for a few seconds before bending down to pick up garbage on the side of the road when he was struck and run over by the vehicle. He died at the scene.
Joseph’s twin sister, Shenice, described her brother as a loving, joyful and caring person. She said he was excited about becoming a father and had been saving money in preparation for the baby.
She said she hoped the incident would serve as a lesson for employers in the industry to put proper health and safety measures in place to ensure workers are protected and to help prevent workplace accidents.
“This is devastating for all of us,” she said, wiping away tears.
Joseph’s father said his focus at this time is burying his son.
“My son was the best thing. Ask anybody in the village about my son. He never fight with nobody. He never cuss with nobody,” he said, adding that his son was never involved in any trouble with anyone.”
In an interview with another media outlet, the driver of the garbage truck insisted the incident was an accident. He said he had been working with Joseph for about seven months and that Joseph was not supposed to jump off the truck while it was moving. He added there was no way he could have known Joseph was at the back of the truck.
Caroni police are investigating.
