One Family Faces Two Similar Electrical Tragedies

A family already mourning the loss of a loved one is now facing another devastating blow. Thirty-seven-year-old Eyerick Smith died after accidentally coming into contact with a live electrical wire while helping demolish a house on Vernon Street. But this tragedy carries an especially painful history: Smith’s older brother also died in a similar electrical accident just a few years ago. And the family had buried another loved one, Smith’s mother, just one day before his death. Tonight, his father, Frederick Beeks, is struggling to process two heartbreaking losses while urging Belizeans to take every precaution when working near electrical wires.

 

Frederick Beeks, Father of Deceased

“My baby. I come and meet this lady, I come and build this big building for ah because I mi love ah and ih mek two baby fi me. Frederick and Eyerick. Frederick da di first one gon lef me. Eyerick come, I no know weh he mi di do. I tell ah sit down yah with me. I buy wa rum, I tell ah we wa drink together all day. I tell ah if you want twenty dollars I wa give you twenty dollars and he still gone left me behind my back gone work like he schupid. ih hurt me Ih hurt me. My gyal just dead and inna one day time, next day, he dead. I pass through that already to. I gone fix up wa downstairs house and i have to put wa door outta the sheet and I cut ah wire and big spark but I mi got wa pliers when got the rubber so it just bust fronta me I neva dead. Ih hurt me bad. Dat da mi baby. And mi gya;l da mi lover and I love di two ah ney and I no know what I wa do now.”

 

Smith’s death has renewed calls for the implementation of Belize’s Occupational Safety and Hazard Bill, which has been passed but is still in the process of being rolled out.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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