A heartbroken Texas family is seeking answers after their beloved matriarch was crushed to death by a forklift at a Walmart distribution center.
Elena Rios, 68, a mother of four and grandmother of 13, was working a half-day at a Walmart distribution center in Fort Worth on Feb. 16 when the horror happened.
Mr. Rios worked at Walmart for 10 years and earned a license to operate the forklift he was operating at the time.
Her family first learned about the accident on the news and was given “conflicting information about what happened” to Rios, attorney Ty Stimpson said. In a statement.
Rios had planned to spend the second half of that fateful day watching her granddaughter’s softball game.
Granddaughter Danielle Rios also remembered her grandmother helping her find dresses for her quinceañera and prom. told NBC 5“He took me to the casino for the first time,” he said.
“We did a lot of things together every weekend.”
Daniel said his last memory with his grandmother may be the one he clings to the most. The night before Rios died, the two had a sleepover together.
“I’m glad I stayed that night and was able to see her again and say ‘good night’ and ‘see you tomorrow.’ Otherwise she would have spent her last night alone,” Daniel said. Told.
Bianca Villanueva, one of Rios’ daughters, said her mother was “everything” to her family.
“She was going to see me and she was going to her niece’s softball game. And that didn’t happen,” Villanueva said.
“I want to know what happened,” Villanueva said. “She misses her. And I just want to know why.”
Villanueva said she didn’t learn of her mother’s death until she saw it on the news and called Walmart.
“I’m in her emergency contacts, so why wasn’t I notified?” she asked.
The family and their lawyer Websites seeking information from the public Regarding personal accidents.
“I’m angry. I’m sad. There’s a sense of loss and I’m numb,” Villanueva said.
“Right now we are hurting. We have questions about what happened. We still don’t have answers.”
A Walmart representative told NBC that the company is conducting an internal investigation.
“Our hearts go out to Elena’s family. We are conducting an internal investigation and are cooperating with OSHA. At Walmart, the safety and health of all of our employees is our top priority,” a representative said. said.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the fatal accident.
