March 13, 2008 — The latest in the list of recent construction accidents happened Thursday when a trackhoe went off a cliff in Fish Bay, St. John.
The driver jumped clear before the machine went over the cliff shortly after 10 a.m. Other than incurring some abrasions, he was not injured.
"He's the luckiest one so far," St. John Rescue Public Information Officer Bob Malacarne said.
He said the driver of the trackhoe, a construction vehicle used in excavation, lost control as he headed down a series of switchbacks toward Fish Bay. He missed the right turn to Dittlif Point, and the vehicle went over the cliff. It landed about 30 feet below upside down and partly in the water.
Department of Planning and Natural Resources spokesman Jamal Nielsen identified the driver as Eric Shenell. He said Brent Squires was the owner of the vehicle.
Although the driver was lucky to escape serious injury, the environment wasn't so lucky. One Fish Bay resident who did not want to be named said he saw what he believes is hydraulic fluid leaking from the vehicle.
"But I don't think the gas tank is ruptured," he said.
Nielsen said late Thursday afternoon that DPNR officers put booms around the trackhoe and pads on the rocks to absorb spilled fluids.
"There is some spillage into the ocean," he said. He said the spill covers about 400 square feet.
Nielsen said that DPNR would meet with the owner later Thursday to figure out how to remove the trackhoe. He said it appears that a barge with a crane on it is the only way to get the track hoe out.
He said the owner will be issued a notice of violation once the trackhoe is removed and the damage can be assessed.
The Fish Bay resident said he and others in the area residents are concerned about massive construction vehicles navigating the island's narrow and steep roads.
St. John Administrator Leona Smith expressed alarm at the continuing number of similar accidents.
"I think in most of the areas, the slopes are too steep," she said.
She said driver abilities and equipment reliability also need to be looked at to stem the tide of construction accidents.
On Dec. 27, two St. Thomas men died at Virgin Grand Estates, located off Gifft Hill Road, when the concrete truck in which they were traveling slipped and overturned.
A St. John landscaper died Feb. 1 when he tried to stop his truck from rolling down a driveway.
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
