Leonora woman electrocuted

Nov 08, 2009 News

A fatal error on the part of a young boy may have resulted in the death of 59-year-old Sarjudai Persaud, of 9 Leonora Junior Staff Compound, West Coast Demerara.

Persaud, according to reports was electrocuted around 18:00 hours yesterday as she attempted to tighten a light bulb in chicken pen.

Sarjudai Persaud and her husband in happy times

According to the woman’s husband, Lalman Persaud, he first heard the news of his wife’s demise from his daughter Kowsilla Seenanan.

In fact the news was the worse he has ever got on his birthday. Lalman celebrated his 52nd birthday yesterday.

The man, who works as a taxi driver at a nearby taxi service, said that he sped home only to find his wife lying dead in the back of their yard where some chicken pens are located.

Lalman said that he desperately tried to revive his wife of 33 years before rushing her off to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to Lalman, his daughter informed him that his wife had gone out feed the chickens when she discoverd that the bulb was a bit slack. Seenanan, her son seven-year-old Davendra, and a neighbour and her son were at home with Persaud at the time.

Persaud, Lalman said, requested of the neighbour’s son to unplug a drop cord that runs from the family’s home to the chicken pens so that she could tighten the bulb. However as fate would have it, the lad unplugged the wrong cord.

It was not until some time later that the young Davendra discovered the lifeless body of his grandmother sprawled near the chicken pen. He raised an alarm and efforts were immediately made by the woman’s daughter to revive her.

According to Lalman the police officers also visited the home and took away the socket and the bulb. The invited those who were at the premises at the time of the incident down to the Leonora Police Station to offer statements.

The grieving Lalman recounted that he and his wife have been rearing chickens as an added means of income since 1994 without an incident.

Persaud leaves to mourn her husband, her daughter, her 17-year-old son Rudranauth Persaud, and three grandchildren.

It was just August last that the family was plunged into mourning when Kowsilla’s husband was killed by accident in Trinidad.