The Government has compensated a man whose truck was damaged when a portion of road in Kingstown caved in under it in 2010.
Cabinet approved the payment of EC$1,850 to Alistair “Live-up” Simon of Rillan Hill in September 2011, Minister of Transport and Works, Sen. Julian Francis told Parliament last week.
“So, a fella had a vehicle going down Bay Street with a load of cement and the grill collapsed and it broke the spring on his truck and he claimed against Public Works…
“I agreed that the fellow should be compensated. Because it was down where I normally set up the bar there — where the bar is normally set up where I spend a lot of time during Carnival time.
“And that is where they had done the cut out for the stoplights that they had in those days and the concrete there was poor and it was hollow underneath.
“So, he happened to stop there for a little while and the weight on it [caused the road to cave in].
“There was an argument that he had overloaded the truck but we know it is the culture and practice in Kingstown when moving cement to any part in Kingstown that you carry as much as possible because you are not going up any big hill. It is flat road.
“But [because of] the weight, it collapsed and crushed the spring. I had to process a Special Warrant,” Francis said.
The award to the truck owner is a pittance, I can see with half an eye that the chassis will of been twisted, did he get and insurance pay out? if he did, should that government money of gone to the insurance company?
Is the truck owner a ULP supporter? because if he was an NDP supporter he would get zilch, except perhaps a summons to court for being overloaded which is an offence under the ‘Road Traffic Act’.
Was there a sticker on the front bumper bar, I AM LABOUR?