A mom of five children has died after she was allegedly crushed by packages while working at a UPS facility. This horrific death happened in Richmond, California, on Sunday, September 21, according to ABC 7.
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Packages Crush Mother Of 5 To Death At UPS Facility
Officers responded to an industrial accident report at a UPS facility on Atlas Road around 4:16 PM local time. According to the family of the victim, Shelma Reyna died after a machine malfunctioned.
A co-worker of Reyna found her unresponsive, crushed underneath boxes, according to KTVU. Although first responders attempted life-saving efforts, Reyna succumbed to her injuries at the scene.
Police spoke with the UPS warehouse’s shift supervisor to request any relevant surveillance footage. This footage is reportedly stored off-site, so they may not have that footage yet.
Reyna is survived by her five children, who are shaken by her death. “My mom works two jobs to take care of five kids,” said Reyna’s eldest son, Aldo Icazbalceta.
“My mom was a humble lady. She never asked for a handout, she never begged. She was a soldier, she was a warrior. She always tended to her kids.”
Meanwhile, Reyna’s ex-husband, Juan Icazbalceta, was teary-eyed as he spoke with the outlet. “I feel horrible. I started crying and I can’t believe it,” said the ex-husband. “It’s like a nightmare.”
Juan mentioned that his ex-wife had just started working at that warehouse last fall. The police are awaiting autopsy results to figure out how and when Reyna died.
According to Lt. Donald Patchin, a Richmond PD spokesperson, they don’t find this incident suspicious. “The initial reports show the employee was in the container alone,” said Patchin.
“Officers were looking for video. I don’t know if any was found and they were going to interview witnesses.”
Victim’s Family Is Worried About Gross Negligence
Some family members of Reyna claimed to hear from other UPS workers that Reyna may have been stuck in the container for up to four hours before someone found her. Knowing this, Patchin said they would determine if this workplace accident involved gross negligence.
If there is no crime involved, the case would belong to CAL/OSHA for investigation. “They would be the lead agency as far as whether there were any protocols, safety concerns that were not followed,” said Patchin. “They would be the ones investigating that part of it.”
CAL/OSHA released a statement on Tuesday concerning the incident. The organization said it “has up to six months to issue citations if any violations of workplace safety regulations are identified.”
Now, Reyna’s family is looking for answers. “I would like to know what happened at the moment,” the ex-husband added, mentioning how devastated Reyna’s children have been.
“They hurt, they cry every day. They feel bad. They’re still waiting for their mom.” The youngest of the bunch are two twin eight-year-olds, followed by a 10-year-old, a 17-year-old, and Aldo as the oldest.
“It’s not just some lady. It’s a mother, somebody’s daughter, aunt,” he continued. “It’s somebody’s world.”
The family has since launched a GoFundMe to support them during this difficult time. They have raised over $8,000 and are nearly halfway to their goal.