The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE sister of a 38-year-old construction worker killed after the ground gave way beneath him at a Lyford Cay worksite says he had previously raised concerns about safety on the job.

Deanko Miller, a carpenter who had worked with SMG Construction for nearly six years, was reportedly one of two men killed on Wednesday afternoon after they became trapped beneath soil at the site.

His sister, Deante Miller, said her brother had expressed concerns about safety before his death but declined to give details while an official investigation is pending.

“That will be taken up when they do their proper investigations,” Ms Miller said. “That type of information will be handed off to whomever is taking care of the investigation.”

Ms Miller, a veteran who said she previously worked as a combat medic and is a member of the law enforcement community, said the incident had sharpened her concerns about safety standards on construction sites.

“I think this is a wake-up call for The Bahamas,” she said.

Ms Miller said the family wants investigators to determine whether proper safety precautions were in place and whether the site had been adequately assessed.

“Bring in the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) maybe or anything that really helps something that pertains to these jobs because this can't be happening,” she said. “Go to work and lose your life that that doesn't make sense.”

She and other relatives went to the morgue on Friday morning, which was also Ms Miller’s birthday.

Deanko was the father of two children, aged five and seven. His sister described his death as “traumatic” and “unimaginable.”

She said the mother of his children, who was listed as his emergency contact, was told that he had died but was not initially given details about what had happened.

The family was first instructed to report to a police station and did not immediately know that Deanko had died.

“I knew that something was wrong when I called the police station and they said that they didn't have anybody in custody,” Ms Miller said. “I thought maybe it might have been just an altercation on the job, maybe a fight, something unusual.”

She said the family later learned that he had died.

Videos showing efforts to rescue the men from beneath the soil later surfaced publicly. Ms Miller said the family first saw the footage on the news and found it difficult to watch.

She said relatives also heard that Deanko may have still been breathing shortly after the incident, prompting questions about the timing of the emergency response.

“Being an actual past combat medic,” Ms Miller said, “I know that their life, when it comes to just emergency personnel in general, it was not quick.”

The family has not received assistance from SMG Construction, according to Ms Miller.

SMG Construction declined to comment when contacted.

Ms Miller said the family’s immediate focus is on understanding how the accident happened.

“We really just need to know what happened around the circumstances,” she said. “If SMG is going to reach out to his immediate family members, I think that would be very helpful for the case, and just taking it one step at a time.”

She also recalled her final conversation with her brother the night before the accident, when they spoke about their grandmother and her sense of humour.

Deanko told her, “I'll see you tomorrow evening, well, if I live; that's the first time like he's done something like that before.”

His father, Wayde Miller, described him as “a good son, family-oriented son” who took care of his children

“Me and him was pretty close,” Mr Miller said. “He’s my oldest son, my oldest child. I’m saddened the way his life was taken.”

Mr Miller said he was on a boat when relatives tried to reach him after the incident but was having problems with his phone.

He said the last time he saw his son was at his nephew’s funeral, where they spent several hours together and took pictures.

“That’s a big chip off the block gone,” Mr Miller said. “So we just got to stay strong and keep him in our hearts and memory.”

Deanko’s aunt, Linda Wallace, said she had spoken with him two days before his death.

Ms Wallace said he had called to check on her after she lost her son two months ago and had spoken about how much he missed his cousin.