Worker Dies After Falling Into A Vat Of Oil A Few Miles From Disney World

A worker has died outside of Walt Disney World’s Florida park today. The 61-year-old man fell while emptying oil and grease from a tractor-trailer.

Witnesses say the man was standing on a nearby metal grate before he slipped and fell while working on the vehicle. After falling into the tank, he was subsequently “overwhelmed by fumes and slipped further into the vat” as reported by CBS News.

“Witnesses tried to pull the man out of the oil but couldn’t help him,” said CBS affiliate WKMG. Bystanders were subdued by the fumes themselves and were not able to help the victim without endangering their own lives.

The local Reedy Creek Fire Department pulled the body from the vat of oil post-mortem. The incident was reported after midnight.

The entertainment park previously made news this summer with other workplace accidents. In July, police in Orange County, Florida, reported that an employee was injured in an industrial accident on-site at Disney World only hours after another worker was killed in a separate accident, according to Fox News. The details of the employee’s injuries were not released, though they were said to be non-life-threatening.

That same morning, Juan Alberto Ojeda, age 33, died in an industrial accident in the park. He was “trapped under a utility vehicle that jumped a curb,” reported Fox 35. He was found at 1153 Century Drive on site of the Pop Century Resort. When first responders arrived on the scene, Ojeda was unconscious and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead on the scene, says Fox 35.

Shortly after that incident, Fox 35 published a statement by Disney President George Kalogridis stating that “All of us at Walt Disney World Resort are deeply saddened today by the loss of one of our Cast Members. Our thoughts and concerns are with his family, friends, and fellow co-workers. This is a tragic accident, and we are providing resources and care for those impacted and are working closely with the proper authorities to understand how this happened.”

Though today’s incident occurred outside of the park, it is widely being associated with Disney World. This victim actually worked for Harvest Power, a company based in Massachusetts that “specializes in converting food waste and yard waste into biofuel, compost, mulch and fertilizer” according to WKMG.

As of now, neither the name of the victim nor further details surrounding the incident have been released. An investigation of the incident is underway.