Gardener falls into pit, dies
CORAL GARDENS, St James — Tears flowed down the cheeks of residents after the body of a well-loved gardener was removed from a cesspit into which he fell while on the job at premises in this community in Montego Bay on Monday.
The residents gave the name of the gardener as Shane Lee, who lived in St James.
Residents alleged that the gardener was walking across the premises when he fell into the pit after the covering gave way.
Cesspool truck operators had to remove four loads of waste from the pit before firefighters managed to retrieve the body, which had cuts all over.
One fireman was overheard explaining to a resident that “he took in a lot of water”.
The gardener’s weed whacker was also removed from the pit by the firefighters.
“Who going cut we yard now?” a female resident wailed, her hands on her head.
Lorna Lawson, another Coral Gardens resident who usually hired the gardener, said he had been serving the community for many years, over which time he had won the trust and respect of the residents.
“He is ... a very nice person and he has worked here for many years. He works for me as well as several residents. Very sad, very depressed. He cut my yard up to last week and we had a good chat. Very, very nice person,” a distressed Lawson said.
Another resident, Gregory Excel, concurred.
“Mi know him good like that. Is a man who cut mi yard. Good youth. Even if you don’t have a money at the time fi pay, him going deal with it. From Sunday to Sunday him inna the place. Good, good youth,” Excel stated.
A cooked-food vendor, who gave her name as Allison, said she had sold lunch to Lee not long before his death.
“Mi just sell him the food. Him call mi at 10:12 am and asked me to stop here. Mi sell three food before mi reach him. It was the first mi selling him a large lunch. He usually buys small lunch,” the vendor said.
“He told me that tomorrow he will be around there. I told him to call me and remind me tomorrow. That’s it,” added Allison, who cried openly after the body was removed from the pit.