Autopsy: Cable ruptured Rousillac man's liver

A cable from a utility police which struck father of two Ulrick John at his Rousillac home on Monday ruptured his liver and led to his death.

John, 49, was struck by a rotten utility pole which caused injuries to his back. But an autopsy yesterday at the San Fernando Mortuary showed he died from a fatal blow from a cable connected to the pole.

A police report said John had just returned home to Virginia Avenue, at about 10.30am when a truck passed nearby along the Southern Main Road and became entangled with several low-hanging TSTT cables. Several poles connected to the lines were pulled down. One of them was inside John’s yard.

His neighbour Marvin Seaton told Newsday the freak accident happened within seconds. He said they were chatting before John walked away, saying he was going to urinate.

Eyewitnesses saw cables moving through the air and within seconds a rotten pole in the family's yard had been uprooted. The pole and the cables came into contact with John while he was urinating.

John’s brother Shurland Baptiste, 33, told Newsday his brother did not deserve to die in that way.

“It was a case of negligence by TSTT. I am hurting so much,” Baptiste said as he broke down in tears during an interview.

He said for the past four years the family had made reports about the rotting pole. Three days before his brother was killed they noticed the pole leaning more than usual and called TSTT.

“Again we tried and tried to call TSTT, but we didn’t get on to anyone. It just hurts me, and you know why? This could have been prevented. They told us year after year they coming to remove this rotting pole and they never came, so the cables were attached to this pole that was leaving the ground.”

Baptiste said if the pole had been replaced the new pole would still have been standing even if it had been pulled by the truck.

“There are termites in this pole. It was rotting.

"It is not fair what happened to my brother at all. He was the sole breadwinner to his family. Who will take care of his two children now? What do they have to say to us now?”

John would have been 50 next month. “We were in the process of making arrangements to plan a surprise birthday party for him. Oh God , no. I can’t believe this,” his brother said.

TSTT staff visited the family on Tuesday.

In a statement TSTT expressed condolences to the family and said the company is investigating the “unfortunate circumstances surrounding the incident.”