A 66-year-old man died in a fatal workplace accident in the early hours of Thursday, November 12, at Hacienda Mendoza in Humacao, Puerto Rico, while doing his farm work. According to preliminary information, the man was riding a horse around the property at about 1:00 AM when the animal stumbled into a ditch and ended up crushing him.
The farm’s foreman said the horse rounds were a daily routine carried out by several workers, and described the deceased as an example to follow and a very special person. The partner of the man’s daughter described him as a hardworking man who had spent his whole life working on dairy farms, and who had advised him several times to stop riding horses.
The man would answer that the money he received from Social Security was not enough to cover his needs, so he felt he had to keep working. Despite the recommendations of those close to him, he continued working because Social Security did not cover his expenses.