Latest update May 13th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 25, 2008 News
Linesmen and other senior personnel from the Linden Utilities Services Cooperative Society Limited (LUSCSL) were busy yesterday, checking power lines in Blue Berry Hill. They also removed a transformer to thoroughly investigate what may have been responsible for an electrical surge that killed popular Linden footballer Troy Richards, 32, known as “Kang”, on Thursday evening.
According to residents of the area, it is not the first time that the community has been hit by a power surge. They say that the same thing had occurred two years ago, and many electrical appliances were damaged by it. However, no one had died then.
”The last time was day time, and the current just come on after a blackout. When people put on they appliances, the things get burn up. But this time was still blackout, yet people earth rods was catching afire and people was getting shock in de house.
“Is a good thing people didn’t gone to bed, or a lot of people woulda dead. Now when is blackout, people ain’t safe no more; you got to run out de house,” a visibly perturbed resident reported.
One woman said that her husband had to dash outside to get sand to douse the fire that had erupted on the earth rod and had “walked” straight to their electrical stove. She said that she is not sure whether the stove will still work, as power had not yet been restored to the area.
Residents claimed that the power outage had occurred at around 15:00 hours during a brief but heavy downpour. “All we hear is the transformer go “boom!” during the thunder and lighting — and was blackout.
According to reports, electricity was later restored to the area for about five minutes, at around 19:00 hours. “The lights come on bright, bright. All dem bulbs dat didn’t working come on.”
The “surge” sent many people dashing to unplug their electrical appliances, but most of them had to change their minds and run outside after they received minor electrical shocks. Some people reportedly took sticks and lashed off the electrical cables to their houses, after fire was seen emanating from ground wires.
Troy Richards was not so lucky, however, as the young man was “grounded” after he attempted to unplug the refrigerator at his girlfriend’s house at 998 Blue Berry Hill.
His distraught girlfriend, Adjoua Duke, said that Troy had gone to her house after buying gasoline for her motorcycle. “I told him to go and collect the bike, and when he came back, I told him the neighbour’s yard was on fire, and he said ‘Plug out everything?’ and I told him ‘no’, that the fridge was still plugged in, as I couldn’t reach the plug.”
“He went to the kitchen and he said, ‘You know, before you do these things you suppose to put on rubber slippers,’ and I didn’t even tell he put on he shoes,” Duke said as she broke down in tears. The inconsolable young woman had to be taken to the Linden Hospital Complex earlier in the day for medication to calm her down. Her mother, Pamela Duke, claimed that her daughter was severely traumatized after seeing her boyfriend electrocuted.
”I have to keep a close eye on her, as this thing has really devastated her,” the elder Duke said with concern. The elder Duke said that she was on her way home from Georgetown, where she attends classes, when she got the terrible news.
Meanwhile, LUSCSL management said that they are currently investigating the matter to determine what may have caused the surge.
(Enid Joaquin)
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