Eight people were killed and about 40 others were hurt when a vehicle carrying farmworkers collided with a delivery vehicle and rejected in northern Florida on Tuesday, according to authorities.
The modified school bus was transporting 53 labourers at about 6: 40 a. m. when it collided with a 2001 Ford Ranger in Marion County, about 80 km north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The staff had been headed to Cannon Farms in Dunellon, which has been harvesting fruits.
FHP Lt. Patrick Riordan reported that it appears that the vehicle” traveled toward the middle line” and the two automobiles” stood each other’s sides,” causing the vehicle to veer off State Road 40, a right but a little steep two-lane road that passes through animal farms. The vehicle crashed through a gate, struck a tree and rolled over in a niche, Riordan said.
According to Riordan, the pickup’s pilot also suffered injuries and was taken to the hospital.
The vehicle ended up on its side, with open access to the emergency rear door and major hatch and broken windows. The vehicle came to a halt on the side of the road, its air bag blown, and the driver’s side suffered significant damage.
Federal statistics indicate that in the most recent season, car crashes were the most common cause of job-related fatalities among laborers in 2022. They accounted for 81 of 171 mortality.
There is no immediate evidence that the wind played a role. Additionally, it was n’t immediately known whether the bus had seat belts.
Officials in a number of claims have been pushing for stricter rules to protect labourers, who are increasingly immigrants. If all of the bus’s drivers were immigrants, who knows?
In addition to other employee protections that go into effect on June 28, the Labor Department announced new seats belt requirements for company vehicles used for laborers on temporary permits. The Florida Fruit &, Vegetable Association has been opposed, calling the helmet need “impractical”.
State laws requires cars for association carry using smaller cars, weighing less than 10, 000 pounds.
Cannon Farms announced on its Instagram page that” we will be closed immediately out of respect for the loss and injuries that occurred in the accident that occurred the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.” Please join us in praying for the victims and their loved ones in this dreadful incident. At this challenging occasion, we appreciate your understanding.
Cannon Farms describes itself as a family-run business that has been raising its area for more than 100 years. The company then focuses on almonds and fruits, which it sends to grocery shops across the U. S. and Canada.
At Olvera Trucking, no some answered the phone on Tuesday evening. Recently, the business made an employment offer for a temporary driver to travel with employees through fruit fields. The driver may therefore operate harvesting equipment. The pay was$ 14.77 an hour.
Although it was n’t immediately known whether the drivers on the bus were immigrants, a Department of Labor document indicates that Olvera recently applied for 43 H-2A workers to work at Cannon Farms this month to harvest watermelons. The business once more offered a base rate of$ 14.77 per hour with guarantees for housing and transportation to and from the fields.
The H- 2A program allows U.S. companies or agents to recruit foreign nationals to fill transitory agricultural positions. Florida ranches employ more H- 2A workers than any other position, about 50, 000 a month, according to the Florida Fruit &, Vegetable Association.
For the first time in years, AdventHealth facilities ‘ director of vision and government Andres Sequra stated to reporters that the wounded employees who may receive chaplain visits “were in excellent spirits for what they have been through.”
” We were able to offer assistance, appearance, worship when it was asked of us”, he said.
