Container falls on Port worker

by Omesha Spence 24.APR.09

Warren Bishop is indeed lucky to be alive, after a forty foot container fell on him, causing injuries to his shoulder and leg.{{more}}

Bishop, a 34-year-old employed at the Kingstown Port, was on wharf patrol duty at the Kingstown Berth when the incident occurred on Monday, April 20, 2009, around 1:30 pm.

When Searchlight visited him at the Intensive Care Unit of the Male Surgical ward on Tuesday, he was recovering from surgery.

At the time of the incident, Bishop was offloading cement from one of the boats docked at the wharf.

“I was checking on a boat and I was off loading and putting on cement,” he said. It was during this time that Bishop said he saw a truck carrying a container coming towards him.

Bishop recounted how he tried to escape the oncoming trailer by running behind a fence close by. “I saw the back of the container flying coming around so I turn around to run to the other side of the fence. That is when the container hit me on the back of my shoulder, stay on the fence, and then drop on the left foot.”

Some workers offloading boats nearby rushed to help Bishop, and attempted to lift the container, which was empty, off him. The container slipped once, falling back on to Bishop’s leg, but was successfully lifted off after another try. Bishop was then rushed to the hospital.

Bishop, who said he was conscious during the entire ordeal, stated that his leg was crushed and a bone was protruding from the leg.

“When I saw the leg, I was thinking, I just hope I didn’t have to cut it off… I just thank God that I’m alive.” Bishop underwent surgery on his leg late on the night of the incident. A cast was placed on his broken left shoulder.

Bishop’s mother Veronica Bishop is also grateful that her son survived the accident. “I give God thanks and praise that he is alive,” she said.

When Searchlight contacted Paul Kirby, General Manager of the St. Vincent Ports Authority, he confirmed that the accident took place while a container was being moved from the port to a ship at the Kingstown Berth. He also conveyed his concern to Bishop and his family. “We deeply regret the incident and will execute our responsibility with the seriousness it deserves,” he said.

Bishop was visited by the Port Manager, the Administrative Port Manager, his other co-workers, friends and family while at the hospital.

Bishop told Searchlight that he is very grateful to all those who visited him, including his co-workers and who rescued him from the ordeal. “I thank them very much, because if it wasn’t for them, I might have been dead…. I thank God for them… you will always be in my heart,” he said.

Kirby, in a press release issued on Wednesday, April 22, 2009, stated that the Authority is doing all in its power to take care of Bishop’s medical expenses. He also said that the matter is being investigated. (OS)