DESHAWN BLACKBURN, the grieving father of the sanitation employee who was crushed to death by a garbage truck, is demanding justice following the death of his son.Blackburn is demanding that authorities carry out a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to the death of his son and expectant father, Deshawn Joseph, 20.
Killed Tuesday: Deshawn Joseph
The tragic incident occurred around 7.15 p.m. on Tuesday while Joseph was collecting garbage along a route in Kelly Village in Caroni when the truck reportedly reversed and rolled over him. Security footage of the fatal incident has been circulating on social media.The Express spoke to Blackburn at the home he shared with his son in Springvale Village, Claxton Bay, shortly after returning from the Forensic Science Centre in Federation Park, where he identified his son’s body to the authorities.According to the father, he was informed there had been an argument between the truck driver and the victim when the driver was picking up the victim to head out to work that night.“My son, a good youth-man, does work real hard and that what that man do there...That man could have been more careful,” said Blackburn.Police have since launched investigations into the incident as relatives and co-workers continue to mourn the loss of the sanitation worker.The father said the family is now awaiting answers and hopes investigators will determine exactly what transpired moments before the fatal collision.Blackburn said his son had been working with the company for about two years.Surveillance camera footage showed Joseph standing at the back of the truck as it reversed into Ramnath Street. A vehicle was parked on the roadway.Joseph, whose girlfriend is pregnant with their first child, jumped off the truck and was walking toward a garbage bag when he was struck and fell to the ground. The 43-year-old truck driver allegedly told police he was reversing into the street, trying to avoid hitting a parked vehicle on the left side, but was unable to see behind the truck.Joseph died at the scene.Excited for his first childJoseph’s twin sister, Shenice Joseph, told the Express her brother was looking forward to the birth of his child later this year.“He was very excited and was organising to buy stuff for the baby. He was working extra shifts and saving up money. He would call and tell us everything that was going on,” said the sister.Shenice returned from Tobago, where she resides with their mother, Alicia Kathyann Joseph, who is expected to arrive in Trinidad this evening.Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has also extended condolences to Joseph’s family, saying it was “truly heartbreaking that a young man went out to earn an honest living to care for his family and never returned home”.In a social media post yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said Joseph tragically lost his life in a freak accident on Tuesday night.“He leaves behind a grieving family, including his girlfriend who is four months pregnant with their child. May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may God grant strength, comfort and healing to his loved ones during this painful time of grief,” she said.
