AN 18-year-old labourer is fighting for his life at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after his co-worker turned on a cement mixer unaware that he was inside the machine cleaning it.

In a critical condition is 18-year-old Ricardo Nandlal of South De Kinderen Line-Top, West Coast Demerara (WCD). The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at Forrester Lumber and Building Complex, Stewartville, WCD.
According to a police report, the 22-year-old co-worker is in police custody.

“Divisional Police Commander, Errol Watts, has indicated that the co-worker remain in custody, on the prisoner bench, as they await updates on the victim, given at the moment that his actions were not malicious but suspected to be that of negligence,” the police report noted.

The owner of the company, 47-year-old Andrew Forrester, told the cops that the young man went inside the machine to clean it while the ‘mixer operator’ had no idea he was inside and turned it on.

The young labourer then began to scream when others rushed and pulled him out. He was rushed to the Leonora Hospital and later referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he remains in a critical condition.

Investigations are ongoing.