Widow of man killed in cesspit wants compensation
compensation.
And one of the people she is suing is believed to be her husband's cousin. Mr.
Melbourne (Willie) Grant, 46, died after being submerged in a cesspit at the Robin Hood pub two years ago.
He had been helping Mr. Charles Grant, who runs Highland Sanitation Services, clean out the eight-foot deep pit.
Now Mr. Melbourne Grant's widow, Marcia, is suing the owners of the pub building.
Also named in a Supreme Court writ is Mr. Charles Grant, known as Mr.
Melbourne Grant's "brother'' but understood to be his first cousin.
The two Grants almost drowned in sewage after trying to rescue a third worker from the pit, 22-year-old Mr. Antoine Burgess. Mr. Melbourne Grant was a mechanic at Webb's paint and body shop, but agreed to help out on the job. He managed to climb out of the pit, and was rushed to hospital with the two other men. Only Mr. Charles Grant survived.
An inquest ruled the two men died by misadventure, and recommended tougher safety measures.
The hearing was told that officials believed the pit contained kitchen and toilet waste together, against regulations saying they should be separated.
The workers had no knowledge of proper safety precautions, it was said. But Mr. Grant told the hearing he had cleaned out the pit about 30 times before with no problems.
Mr. Grant was yesterday off the Island, as was a spokesman for Robin Hood Pub and Restaurant Ltd and its parent firm Robin Hood Enterprises Ltd, companies both named in the writ.
Mrs. Marcia Grant and her lawyers declined to comment. The pub is now run by Mirage Ltd, a company separate from the building's owners.