By Jonathan Ugbal
A mechanic (unnamed) is currently in critical condition after a waste disposal truck working for the Cross River State Government crushed him while working on it, Thursday in Calabar.
“He was working to replace the bolts on the rear left tire hub which had worn, forcing the truck to stop its journey,” a nearby resident who refused to be named told CrossRiverWatch.
The truck, belonging to Patson Environmental Services Limited, a contractor with the Cross River State Government via its Calabar Urban Development Authority and the Cross River Waste Management Agency and labeled “Skip 4” was conveying waste along the Marian Road in Calabar when it broke down just after the Federal Pay Office in Calabar, next to the entrance of the Mammy market of the 13 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.
The Mechanic who arrived shortly before 7:00 PM set up his 32-ton hydraulic jack to replace the hub. However, the truck rolled over the brick used to wedge it and the trailing support crushed him, pinning him next to the rear left tire he had removed.
“I was sitting nearby when we just heard a collapsible sound, we did not know what it was until we heard gasps and moans, and we moved closer and saw the lifeless body of someone under the truck,” a socialite (name withheld due to his position) told this reporter on scene.
A bystander also averred that; “It took us close to 20 minutes to wedge the truck, jack it and remove his body.”
He was eventually removed and taken in a minibus to the Asi Ukpo Diagnostic Center, which is less than 500 meters away, while the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigerian Police Force have cordoned off the scene.
More details later…
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