(KRON) — Richmond police are investigating the death of a United Parcel Services (UPS) worker as an industrial accident after they were severely injured while loading packages on the job.
The incident happened at 4:16 p.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of Atlas Road.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that an employee of a package delivery company was loading packages into a cargo trailer when several packages fell onto them,” said police. “The employee was alone inside the trailer at the time.”
Police said a co-worker later discovered the victim and immediately called 911.
The UPS worker succumbed to their injuries at the scene, despite life-saving measures from medical personnel.
In a statement to KRON4, UPS wrote:
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of our team members. Our thoughts are with their family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. We are cooperating fully with the authorities to understand what happened and defer additional questions to them.”
The victim has been identified by family members and the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office as Shelma Reyna Guerrero, 43, of Richmond.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help with funeral expenses.
“She was such an amazing person and had such a beautiful soul,” said a family member of the victim. “She helped everyone around her that needed help. She was always such a positive person and made our days even better. But sadly, she also left 5 beautiful children behind. All the donations that are collected will be towards her services and be given to my cousin.”
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