A family is grieving after the loss of 25-year-old Kalvin Richards who died in a Hamilton industrial accident Thursday.
Richards leaves behind his girlfriend, Macey Cherrington and their five-month-old daughter, Ruby.
"He's the glue that kept everybody together," said Cherrington.
Cherrington is now searching for answers as to how her partner of four years died in the tragic accident.
"I definitely want to know what happened for sure," said Cherrington.
A federal agency, Employment and Social Development Canada — Labour Program is investigating the accident.
Richards along with a coworker were trapped inside a tanker truck in the industrial north end.
Paramedics treated them on scene before being brought to hospital. Cherrington says Richards was pronounced dead at Joseph Brant Hospital due to a lack of oxygen caused by nitrogen inside the tanker he was in.
The other man was reported as being in stable condition Friday.
Police say emergency responders were called Thursday to 500 Eastport Blvd. around 5 p.m. The two men were inside a tanker truck at Toronto Tank Lines, which transports and stores bulk liquids.
The tanker truck held canola oil blanketed with nitrogen. When the latter leaks, it displaces the oxygen, Claudio Mostacci, spokesperson for the Hamilton Fire Department told CBC on Friday.
The department's confined space rescue team climbed into the tanker to rescue them, Mostacci said.
The man, who survived, was closer to the opening, and could be rescued faster, Mostacci said. Richards was deeper inside.
Sharing a father's memory
Cherrington says as their daughter gets older, she's be showing her pictures and videos, along with sharing the memories of how Richards was with her.
"He was so excited for Ruby to grow up," said Cherrington.
Richards was born in Toronto and has spent the last decade in Hamilton.
Cherrington says whether he's met people once or has known them forever, "everybody just loved him."
"He was a very kind person. He put everybody before himself. He made sure that everybody was good before he even worried about doing anything for himself," said Cherrington.
According to Cherrington, Richards loved cliff diving, going on hikes, loved the outdoors and also loved astrology.
Cherrington's grandmother, Pan Myke, says Richards was a "happy" person.
"He was a beautiful person. Him and my granddaughter were so happy together. They loved each other so much."
Working conditions
Cherrington says that Richards had been working at the port for about six years and had expressed concerns about the job to her.
"He knew exactly what it was about and he knew what was unsafe and just, I guess this one time there was obviously a lack of communication because he has cleaned these tanks multiple times," said Cherrington.
'We are deeply saddened by the loss of an employee of port tenant Toronto Tank Lines/Ontario Truck Wash.' - The Hamilton Port Authority
"He just knew that he had to be careful. This one time something just happened," said Cherrington.
She says she hasn't received any communication from his work.
The Hamilton Port Authority issued a statement on their website Friday.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of an employee of port tenant Toronto Tank Lines/Ontario Truck Wash, who passed away last evening," read the statement.
"More than 2,100 people work at Port of Hamilton tenant companies, and each one of them is an important member of our port family. On behalf of the staff and board of the Hamilton Port Authority, we extend our most sincere condolences to his loved ones and colleagues."
A GoFundMe page has been setup by a family member.
"Macey and Ruby will need all the love and support at this time for funeral expenses and daily living expenses. We thank everyone in advance for the love and support shown to Macey and Ruby during this very difficult time," read the page.
