Family speaks out after Saint John man killed at American Iron and Metal plant
CBC
Darrell Richards "should have been a standup comedian," according to his younger brother, Rick.
"If you had a half an hour with my brother, you would be in stitches," he said.
Like the time Darrell spread around the story that Rick had won $1 million in the lotto, and "somehow worked out an agreement not to tell anyone," said Rick. "You wouldn't believe how many people I had coming up to me, congratulating me. Everywhere I went, I had to explain myself."
Rick was speaking just three days after Darrell died of injuries suffered on the job at the American Iron and Metal plant by Saint John Harbour, the second AIM worker to be fatally injured on the job in the past seven months.
Born just 14 months apart in a family of 11 siblings on Old Black River Road, Darrell and Rick looked so much alike they could pass for twins.
"At times he would pretend he was me. I used to call him 'Good Time Darrell.' There wasn't anything that my brother didn't do, and it didn't surprise me at all."
As well as his fun-loving nature, Darrell was known for his many talents: as a Red Seal carpenter, an avid outdoorsman, moose hunter and hunting guide, a drummer, bass player, father, partner, and friend.
"I can't imagine how many people are affected by his loss, because every time you met Darrell Richards, you felt important. You felt like you were the only person in that moment that mattered to him," said his friend and bandmate Jo-Ann Renton.
Richards leaves behind his partner, Bessie Collins, and three adult children: Danny, Kirk and Darrell.
Rick said he learned of the accident Thursday at the scrap yard at 145 Gateway St. when his niece called his cottage to say Darrell had been hurt.
"We knew it was a workplace accident, but we had very little information," Rick said, adding that his brother had been employed at the west side plant for "three of four years" doing various jobs.
On Friday, after spending the night waiting at the hospital, "we realized that he wasn't going to make it," Rick said. "They did all they could do for him. They took him off of life support, and that was it."
Rick said Darrell "was working, cutting some tubes up or something, and something exploded. That's all that's all I can tell you. Whatever happened, it was a sort of an explosion."
WorkSafeNB is investigating, according to spokesperson Laragh Dooley.
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