A worker has died following an industrial accident at the Cemex cement plant in Brooksville Wednesday morning.

The victim was identified as 51-year-old truck driver Ismael Santana, of Spring Hill.

According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, Santana was driving the first truck of the day to dump a load of ash. As Santana was exiting his truck, the driver of the front-end loader, who was moving debris from one bin to another, did not see Santana. 

As the driver of the front-end loader attempted to return to the bin, deputies said he backed into Santana, pinning him against the cabin of his own semi.

Santana was transported to Bayfront Health Brooksville, where he died.

Santana's sister-in-law, Paula, said his wife, two children and other family members are devastated.

"We couldn't believe it," she said. "We couldn't believe it. When the calls came in that's when it hit."

Family members describe Santana as a kind and hard-working man who loved to travel when he wasn't behind the wheel of a truck.  They also said he was a man of faith.

"He was a Christian, so we know we will see him again," Paula Santana said.

The accident remains under investigation by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).