Residents demand action after near-fatal fall into uncovered well

A near-fatal fall into an uncovered well has intensified calls for urgent action in Goodland Gardens, Christ Church, where residents said a longstanding and dangerous hazard had been ignored for years.

The usually quiet neighbourhood was left shaken after Lolene Rawlins, 72, plunged 87 feet into a bush-covered well in January, then was rescued by emergency teams. For many, the incident has brought renewed urgency to an issue they insisted had been ignored for far too long.

“People know where the wells are. There are so many incidents with these wells… Not until somebody comes near to death,” a female long-time resident said, still visibly unsettled. “I’m trekking through there all the time. I could have fell in that well… That’s bad, man.”

She argued that the solution does not have to be complicated. “We know these wells exist. All we got to do is just cover them up… I hope there ain’t no other ones… Let’s not wait for a human person to fall in the well.”

Anthony Yearwood pointed to specific hazards that remain unaddressed. “Apparently there are two open wells on that property… they’re too open. So I would like to see something done about those as well before somebody get injured again.”

For some, the fear now goes beyond one incident and speaks to a wider lack of awareness and coordination.

“I need to get straight to the point… I know exactly where wells are in Goodland Gardens, but she fell in one I didn’t even know existed,” Christopher Alleyne explained. “That was a hidden well… we don’t know how many more are there.”

He warned that the reactive approach could prove deadly. “It’s unfortunate that we usually wait until these things happen… next time you may not get so lucky.”

The uncertainty has left residents uneasy about everyday movement through the area.

“Yes, I do feel unsafe… after that happened, you would be a bit more cautious,” he said. “You got children moving around, flying kites and playing in the bush… we don’t even know where all the other wells are right now.”

While some residents have begun trying to locate and mark wells, there was a strong call for national coordination and accountability.

“Somewhere in the country, we should know where the wells are… there should be some sort of plan,” Alleyne said. “Somebody has to be in control and in charge of this… who is responsible?”

The issue reflected a broader frustration with how hazards are handled, he added. “We wait until something happens, then there’s an alert… then it dies down, and it happens again.”

Residents also urged multiple authorities to be involved, but said it was unclear who should take the lead. Alleyne questioned: “Where do we go? Who do we go to?… Are we just waiting for the next casualty?”

Despite the anger, there were also calls for shared responsibility in the community.

“Instead of sitting back and talking, you can get involved and do your little piece,” Alleyne urged, encouraging people to report hazards and work together to prevent further incidents.

Following January’s fall, workers from the Ministry of Transport and Works were seen securing the well with plywood and barriers as an immediate measure, and there is now a gate around the well.

Transport minister Kirk Humphrey did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

But for the Goodland Gardens community, the next incident could be fatal and residents said action could not wait.

(LE)