On January 2, 2024, at 5:04 am, Hidalgo County Sheriff's Deputies rushed to a gravel pit at the 2200 Block of Jarachinas Road in rural La Joya, Texas, following reports of a workplace accident. Upon arrival, deputies and the La Joya Fire Department discovered that an independent truck driver, present to collect a load of gravel, had been involved in the incident.

The deputies found the tractor crushed, with the driver pronounced dead inside the cab. In response, Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) Investigators were dispatched to the scene. A local Justice of the Peace was contacted and ordered an autopsy to be conducted on the deceased driver.

As the investigation unfolds, HCSO Investigators have engaged the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to probe further into the circumstances surrounding this workplace accident. 

UPDATE:  Sheriff Investigators have identified the deceased as 46-year-old Mission resident Luis Rivera Jr.