A tractor trailer carrying water bottles collapsed Wednesday morning onto a man from Worcester, Massachusetts, and the injuries were fatal, according to first responders at the scene.
The incident occurred in Westborough, Massachusetts, where the late manual labor worker, 28-year-old Pablo Franciso Otano Aponte, was found by colleagues hurt and not responding and reported the incident to first responders, according to WCVB. Aponte was declared dead on the scene, according to Westborough Fire Department Chief Patrick Purcell, the outlet reported.
Mass. worker dead after 90K pound tractor-trailer falls on him, fire chief says | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/PQw7NFajDV
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) December 28, 2023
“We found the male trapped underneath a 53-foot trailer from a tractor-trailer,” Purcell said, according to the outlet. Aponte’s body was reportedly caught underneath the tractor-trailer for an “extensive amount of time” according to the fire chief. (RELATED: ‘Black Panther’ Stuntman, Three Of His Kids Killed After Car Reportedly Plows Into Tractor-Trailer)
The accident occurred while the late laborer was working on the landing gear, Chief Purcell described, the outlet reported.
Upon arrival, paramedics reportedly performed life saving efforts on the 28-year-old but to no avail. (RELATED: Logan Airport Worker Dies On The Job In Freak Forklift Accident)
“We recognized that the male was deceased with non-viable injuries, and he was pronounced on scene,” Purcell said, according to the outlet.
Pablo Franciso Otano Aponte, 28, ID’d as victim of worksite accident in Westborough https://t.co/S4YOVlUFQA
— MetroWest Daily News (@metrowestdaily) December 28, 2023
The tractor-trailer was reportedly filled with a vast amount of bottled water, which added to the weight of the 53-foot rig. (RELATED: Video Shows Crash That Resulted In Eggs Smothering Highway, Road Closure)
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration were present on the scene and was playing a role in the investigation into the on-the-job tragedy, the outlet reported. The DA’s office’s preliminary investigation suggested Aponte’s death was accidental.