Operator dies after excavator topples into trench during loading accident

An excavator operator lost his life during an accident at Coghlan Dam, Pouderoyen West Bank Demerara on Saturday.
The identity of the man remains unknown as the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said they are working to notify his next of kin.
When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, a nearby business owner reported that a customer had come to Coghlan Dam to collect an excavator he had recently purchased. The customer arrived in a small canter, accompanied by the now-deceased operator.
The operator, who had been tasked with loading the heavy machinery onto the canter, began the process while the vehicle was parked close to a trench. As he manoeuvred the excavator onto the canter, the truck suddenly tilted, lost its balance, and the excavator toppled into the water, trapping the operator inside.
Eyewitnesses, including the business owner and others present at the scene, immediately plunged into the water in a desperate attempt to save the man. However, despite their efforts, they struggled for nearly two hours, unable to free him from the submerged machinery.
“When the excavator fell over, it fell with the top down and the wheels up. When we saw what happened, we all ran to his rescue and we jumped overboard and tried everything to help him. He wasn’t working with me. It was the person who bought the excavator, who brought him. He said he didn’t even know the man’s name. He said he just hired him to operate the excavator,” the businessman said.
Meanwhile, another resident of the community told this publication that he was in his yard when he heard a loud noise and ran outside, only to discover the excavator in the trench.
“I immediately jumped overboard but when I looked, the top of the stuff was stuck down in the mud. It took us hours to get him out. We took the other machines to try and pull up the excavator, but the machines didn’t have the power to pull it up. We even tried breaking the glass, pulling out the seat, but the mud pushed him under the seat and folded him up,” the man said.
The man’s lifeless was body retrieved from the water and emergency services personnel who had arrived by then pronounced the operator dead. Investigations into the incident are ongoing. (G9)