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Berbice tug crash victim died of fractured neck and drowning
…survived a similar earlier incident
A post mortem performed yesterday on the body of 42-year-old Andre Thompson
Police and persons in the De Veldt area removing Thompson's body from clumps of bushes on Saturday
of Number 28 Village, West Coast Berbice, revealed that he died of a fractured neck and drowning. Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh performed the examination at the New Amsterdam Hospital.
Thompson died early Saturday after the tug, Hamburg, hit the boat, White Rose, in which he was sleeping. The impact caused him to fall into the Berbice River. The tug belongs to Germany- based bauxite company, Oldendorff Carriers (Guyana) Ltd and had two occupants at the time, H. La Goudoue and G. Conway.
Conway has since been arrested and is currently in police custody assisting with investigations. The incident took place at De Veldt, located some 50 miles up the Berbice River.
Thompson’s lifeless body was discovered around 11:00 hrs on Saturday and brought out to the coast and taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary.
Oldendorff Carriers has since issued a statement on the matter, saying that it is “deeply saddened” about the incident and stands in commitment to support the grieving family members. The release noted that “His [Thompson’s] death is truly tragic and the company will endeavour to assist the family through this time of extreme bereavement.”
When Kaieteur News visited Oldendorff’s New Amsterdam office yesterday, the Finance Manager, Marlon Jaundoo, stated that the General Manager A.J. De Lorenzo was in a meeting. Jaundoo said that the company has been in contact with the family of the deceased but they are refusing to pronounce further on the matter since investigations are ongoing.
However, Thompson’s widow dispelled claims that the company had contacted any family member, including herself. The family of the dead man is seeking compensation for his death.
The man’s sister, Portia Thompson, noted that two years ago, a similar incident occurred at Wiruni, further up the Berbice River, whereby the same company tug slammed into a boat in which Thompson was sleeping. He, however, jumped in time to avoid a head- on collision.
The launch in which Thompson was sleeping
She added that the tug usually makes its way up the Berbice River with bauxite to Aroaima, where the journey ends. She added that the family wants the matter to be settled and the perpetrators brought to justice. The family, she said, even went as far as to take photographers into De Veldt to take photographs as part of gathering proof that the incident did happen, so that the company would not dispel their claims. She also is in possession of a video taken at the scene of the incident.
Kaieteur News has obtained photographs of the gruesome discovery of Thompson’s body in the river and the Hamburg Tug after it slammed into the boat Thompson was in at the time. The tug bulldozed a large section of the bushes at the corner of the river banks after it slammed into the boat and was still moving at a fast rate, clearing the bush in its path.
Thompson will be buried next Wednesday.
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