Paulwell searching for visually impaired man - MP plans to sue State on behalf of man who fell in hole

Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston Eastern and Port Royal Phillip Paulwell says he is imploring a visually impaired man who fell into a hole in the sidewalk along Windward Road recently to make contact with his office.

The man fell into the 'ditch', hitting his face on the concrete pavement on the way down. The incident was captured on camera and an amateur recording placed on various social media platforms.

"We are actually trying to find the person, because I think the person has a good claim against the Government of Jamaica," Paulwell told THE

WEEKEND STAR.

"I would love for him to make contact with my office, because he would certainly qualify for damages. ... I have asked, but nobody can find the gentleman, so I am hoping that this medium would help, as we would certainly like to make a claim on his behalf," Paulwell said.

The newly passed Road Traffic Act places a duty on the state to "provide proper and sufficient sidewalks, cycle lanes and pedestrian refuges along any road" which is under the control of that government agency, which in this case is the National Works Agency (NWA).

The MP described the condition of the broken sidewalk as "really atrocious". He said that it has been like that for more than two years, and despite making representation to the NWA, it has not been fixed.

"The NWA would have come by to take estimates a few times, and I have been in contact with them. The councillor for the area has also been in touch with them, but I have not seen any repairs done as yet," the MP said.

The works agency, responding to questions from this newspaper a month ago, said plans were under way to fix the broken sidewalk. However, since then, the only noticeable work done in the area is the placement of caution tape at the breakaways and the placement of a plastic container near one of the holes.