Fish farm worker electrocuted by lightning

Recent lightning storms have wreaked havoc on delicate computers and electronic devices, but on Tuesday the violent weather claimed its first life. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods has the story.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Today, following a post-mortem at the city?s morgue, fifteen-year-old Wilver Alexander Calderon was finally laid. But his family is not satisfied with the conclusion that the teenager was electrocuted during a lightning storm. Forty-two year old Rolando Calderon says he does not believe that his son was affected by a lightning strike that occurred near a pond in which he was working at Fresh Catch Belize Limited, a tilapia farm situated in La Democracia Village. Calderon says four other young men were along with his son in the pond tending to a machine that is used to extract the fish from the water when the incident occurred… yet it was only his child that was struck.

Rolando Calderon, Father of the Deceased
?There are a lot of things that I am not sure about. I believe when the lightning struck, more than one person would have been affected, not only him, and that is our cry here. Why him and what about the other people around who were in the same area? There was a guy who was working the machine, if he is working on this machine and lightning strikes the equipment, how come nothing happen to him.?

The family did admit that their son was barefoot at the time of the incident. After being struck, Calderon was pulled from the pond and he was successful revived. But he later began to have difficulty breathing and died upon being transported to the Belmopan Hospital. Calderon expressed his concern that many times his son?s life was put at risk because he was not properly dressed for the environment in which he had to work.

Rolando Calderon
?Normally they wear rubber boots for protection. I know this because I also work with the company, but I always saw my son without boots.?

Calderon says he is not blaming the company for his son?s death, but wonders if something could have been done to prevent the tragedy. Meanwhile, police say do not suspect foul play. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.

News Five tried to get in contact with a spokesperson for the fish farm, but was told that the owner had left the country today and that their only means of communication with the site was not working and therefore at this time they could not comment on the incident.