A Portland man died after a roller overturned with him in it while working on the Moneague leg of the North South link of highway 2000 on Sunday, February 22.He has been identified as Travis Lewis of Portland. He was a labourer on the China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) operated highway. Other workers on the site say Lewis travelled from Portland to work on the highway, and does not live in the area, not even temporarily because he has no family there.Reports are that Lewis, who drives most of the heavy machinery on the project, was operating the roller when it allegedly developed mechanical problems and overturned on a hillside. An eyewitness, Gad Bailey O/C ‘Third World’, told the North Coast Times that the roller got out of control and went over the hill. “A me run go down there go tek him out because everybody traumatized. When me lift him up, a pure blood a run outta him head,” said Mr Bailey. Lewis reportedly sustained multiple injuries to the upper body and head. He was pronounced dead at hospital.Following the incident, the workers walked off the job the next day, Monday. They say they have become very concerned about their safety on the job. Some workers said they were working long hours, sometimes outside of their job description and they want to know what measures will be put in place to ensure that an accident of such tragic nature does not take place again. According to them, this is not the first time a worker has been hurt on the job. “Just two weeks ago, a labourer lose two of him fingers on a heavy tractor. Right now him de home cyah work and nothing him nuh get. So wah bout our rights?” one worker shouted to the Times. The workers say they are fed up with the lack of regard for their safety by the managers of the project.Project Manager at CHEC, Zheitao Zhang said all safety measures on the site are observed because inspectors visit the area every day. According to him, the roller had no mechanical problems. He says however that CHEC takes full responsibly for the accident and the management team will work together with investigators to determine what may have caused the roller to overturn.
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