COLE BAY--A 59-year-old garbage collector of Haitian decent, who was crushed by the garbage truck on which he was working around 4:30am on Sunday, became the second road fatality on St. Maarten’s roads for this year.
An eyewitness told police that the victim lost his balance when he jumped off the back of the truck at the same time that the driver had been reversing the vehicle and he was accidentally run over.
The tragic incident occurred on Wellington Road in the vicinity of Peterson Plaza. Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Ricardo Henson said in a statement on Sunday that police patrols, who were first on the scene, found the male victim identified with initials T.M. lying on the street and was not showing any signs of life.
The officers began performing Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the man until paramedics arrived and took over the treatment. The victim however, could not be revived and died of the injuries he had sustained. Medical doctor Dr. Mike Mercuur went to the scene of the accident and pronounced the victim dead.
Henson said investigation into the incident thus far does not indicate there was any foul play.
