By Robert A. Emmanuel
“He was a fun-loving person; he was no-nonsense, and he took care of his mother very well.”
Those were the words yesterday from Linda Harrigan, the sister of Denroy ‘Waka’ Harrigan, speaking to Observer hours after her brother passed away in the intensive care unit at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre.
On July 18, 59-year-old Harrigan was apparently crushed by a truck at the Deep Water Harbour while unloading goods from a container.
He was working for Seaboard Marine Carib Seas at the time.
The family has been left distraught by his death, having believed that Denroy would recover as he had been eating solid food only days earlier.
“The news we get that day on the 18 July was shocking – we couldn’t understand it ourselves,” Linda said.
Linda spoke about her brother’s deep love for his family and his dogs, revealing that while in the ICU, he would often ask about the well-being of his bedridden mother and his pets.
“He will do anything in his willpower to make his family comfortable; he is a hard worker, and he takes his job seriously,” she said.
“He had his dog, who he dedicates himself to like his children, and he always says that ‘the only reason I am keeping myself from trouble is for my mother and my dogs’.
“There is no money, no money that can give my mommy the comfort that we need at this time of grief; it is like torture,” she added.
The grieving sister also revealed that the news came at an unfortunate time for the family as they had held a funeral for one of her other brothers just a week prior to Denroy’s accident.
She said the family will be demanding answers along with fighting for justice for their loved one.
“We are in the process now to try to organise and getting things in place, but I must say this much: I am not leaving any stone unturned … my mother had five children— four boys and I am the only [daughter] and so I am not leaving it like that,” she added.
Port Manager Darwin Telemaque expressed his condolences to the family, stating, “We are part of the port ecosystem and any death within that space is tragic, sad, and regrettable.”
Carib Seas Ltd was emailed for a comment but had yet to respond by the time of publication.