PARKLAND, Fla. – A farm worker killed after she was struck by lightning last week was remembered by coworkers and loved ones as a hard worker and a dedicated mother of five children.
A funeral service was held in Palm Beach County Tuesday night for 53-year-old Maria Francisco Pascual. She will return to her native Guatemala for burial.
Pascual worked on farms for nearly 30 years, spending the last 15 years at C.W. Hendrix Farms in Parkland.
Meanwhile, the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
Investigators said Pascual and others were working in the fields when a severe storm hit just after 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Officials said the weather conditions that day were extremely dangerous.
"We have said time and time again that this weather can be deadly," said Mike Moser, a spokesman for the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department.
When paramedics arrived, they found Pascual dead in an open field.
Another worker, Alfonzo Ordonez, was seriously injured in the lightning strike, but is expected to recover. A third worker, Blanca Alvarenga, suffered minor injuries.
Melissa Tavares, with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said farm workers should be outside amid dangerous weather conditions. Dozens of workers were in the field when the lightning struck.
"Three people who were on a field, who should not have been on the field, who should not have been working under those conditions," Tavares said. "Those that are responsible should be held accountable."
Despite repeated requests, C.W. Hendrix Farms would not comment for this story.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Broward County Sheriff's Office at 954-831-8905 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-471-TIPS.
