A cement plant worker died after an industrial accident at Cemex’s Brooksville facility on July 23, according to deputies in Hernando County, Fla.
Ismael Santana was delivering the day’s first load of ash when he was struck by a back-end loader at the Cemex plant. The 51-year-old Spring Hill man was getting out of his truck when the loader backed into him, pinning him against the cabin of the truck. The driver of the loader did not see Santana and backed into him while moving debris, the sheriff’s office said.
Santana was taken to Bayfront Health Brooksville, where he later died.
The accident is under investigation by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Santana’s death is the 16th mine fatality in the nation this year, according to MSHA. It is the first such incident this year in Florida, according to MSHA records.
