Electrocution of five-year-old…GPL completes preliminary investigation

Dec 30, 2011 News

-victim’s family contacts attorney

The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) has completed a preliminary investigation into the circumstances

Dead: Antuane Lovelle

surrounding Wednesday’s electrocution of five-year-old Antuane Lovelle.
Meanwhile, the dead lad’s parents have contacted a prominent attorney with the aim of taking legal action against the company that it blames for the tragedy.
GPL’s Chief Executive Officer Bharrat Dindyal told Kaieteur News yesterday that its investigators have submitted an initial report on the incident. But he said that more investigation needs to be done to ascertain who is liable.
Dindyal confirmed that the burst wire that the child came into contact with was “a GPL service connected to the (victim’s) house,” but investigators have to ascertain what caused the wire to burst.
“The GPL has done its preliminary investigation…but a number of questions have to be answered and more work has to be done before the findings are released to the media. This is a legal matter and we have to be careful regarding information to the press. We have to determine what went wrong and who is liable,” the CEO added, while disclosing that officials have met with the dead boy’s parents.
Initial reports received by Kaieteur News suggest that Antuane Lovelle was electrocuted when he came in contact with a faulty GPL wire, which had burst and was lying on the ground in the family’s Craig, East Bank Demerara yard.
Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, Nichola Pyle told Kaieteur News that she spoke with a senior GPL official and the company’s lawyer at the GPL’s Kingston Headquarters.
According to Ms. Pyle, the officials asked how much money she had spent since the incident and also offered to pay for ‘therapy’ for her elder son, who had witnessed his brother’s death.
The woman indicated that she would not be accepting any money for her son’s funeral expenses, and also disclosed that the family had contacted a prominent attorney, who has agreed to look into their interests.
“I don’t want no burial fee. I carried a child for five years and five months.”
Ms. Pyle again insisted that the wire that was connected to her home was defective and that the GPL crew had ignored her appeals to get it fixed.

The dead lad’s father Derrick Lovelle gathers the pieces of electric wire that fell into his yard.

According to Ms. Pyle, she observed the wire sparking on November 19, and immediately called the GPL emergency number.
“They put me on hold, and I hung up and called again and spoke with a woman, who said that the crew on the road and they will come. They never came.”
The woman said that between December 9 and December 12, she again observed the wire sparking and called the GPL. Again, no one came although they had promised to.
“On Tuesday night (last) around 23:00 hrs, they were up on the pole fixing and fixing. They said that they had problem with a transformer and trying to fix it,” she said.
Antuane Lovelle was pronounced dead at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre around 18:00 hours on Wednesday, minutes after he stepped on a severed live electrical wire.
The boy’s relatives related that the wire leading to their house was crudely joined in several places and was dangling dangerously for quite a while although concerns were raised with the power company on a number of occasions.
Nichola Pyle, told this newspaper that she was in her house while Antuane and his older brother were playing in the yard.
She said she only became aware that the wire from the utility pole had burst and was lying in the grass at the front of the yard after a neighbour informed her.
A neighbour recalled seeing little Antuane and his brother playing in the yard.
He said that he saw when Antuane suddenly stopped and appeared to be trembling.
The disjointed wire was collected and subsequently handed over to the police.

12 thoughts on “Electrocution of five-year-old…GPL completes preliminary investigation”

Politricks_4U December 30, 2011 at 10:59 am

What GPL mean they got to find who’s liable….look in the mirror!
fmguycan December 30, 2011 at 11:12 am

Really don’t care about preliminary investigation. This is a clear case of negligence on the part of GPL and its officers.

All the woman has to do is show proof of 2 calls to GPL about the wire and also have the name of the female employee whom she spoke with.

No compensation can really justly address this situation. My deepest sympathy for this family.
kksomaru December 30, 2011 at 11:30 am

shoddy electrical installation.guyana needs to set up proper electrical codes and train and certify electricians before they go out in the field.everyone over there thinks they know about electricity.too many people have died because either no one cares or they know nothing.
kksomaru December 30, 2011 at 11:40 am

this happens because guyana needs to set strict electrical codes and follow up on every job done.many people think they are electrician but have no clue what electricy is all about.i know personally of people standing on steel drum as a ladder, not using properly insulated tools and having no clue what he was doing.
Guyana Analyst December 30, 2011 at 1:08 pm

(1) “This is a legal matter and we have to be careful regarding information to the press.”

NB: If half this care was taken in dealing with the reported wire – a life would have been saved. Not surprising that all the care is taken in covering their backsides.

(2) “…We have to determine what went wrong and who is liable…”
NB: Now, how can GPL objectively investigate itself in these circumstances? Will it find itself liable? schupps….

LIFE IS TOO CHEAP IN GUYANA!
RaAmen December 30, 2011 at 2:18 pm

Sue them.
Lowes1 December 30, 2011 at 3:28 pm

Condolences to the parents and siblings of this lad. I believe that the parents are taking the right path to justice in securing the assistance of a qualified attorney, and not accepting any up front help from GPL.
Kempton1982 December 30, 2011 at 5:00 pm

GPL will take no blame even though they are guilty, sad thing this young child had to die callously before anyone really looked into this mother’s plea. I am saddened because I know that whatever compensation they may offer will never be able to replace this woman’s 5 years and 5 months not forgetting the months of childbirth. My condolences to this family throughout your time of grief.
kksomaru December 30, 2011 at 8:27 pm

people are not adequately trained to practice proper safetyprcedures and most electricians in guyana dont have the proper skills.
missprissy1 December 30, 2011 at 11:40 pm

this is so sad gpl needs to be sued
missprissy1 December 30, 2011 at 11:45 pm

GPL needs to be sued they cruel and wreckless
missprissy1 December 30, 2011 at 11:49 pm

GPL needs to be sued for their recklessness my condolence to the family may his little soul R.I.P.