Truck driver is crushed to death at Texas bottling plant. ‘His kids were his life’
The family of a Texas man who was crushed to death during work at a bottling plant is seeking answers as they mourn.
Arlen Vargas, 39, was working as a truck driver for a company waiting on a shipment at a Niagara bottling plant in Seguin, Texas, about 40 miles outside San Antonio, when he got trapped between another driver’s truck and a loading dock on Jan. 23, according to KENS.
The driver of the other truck said “he was given the green light to back into the loading dock,” then a Niagara worker told him to reposition the trailer slightly, which he did, the outlet reported.
When Niagara workers opened the loading door, “they found Vargas pinned in between the trailer and the building,” KSAT reported.
“It just makes no sense,” Kevin Vargas, Arlen’s younger brother, said in an interview with KHOU. “My brother, he’s very on top of everything … He wouldn’t step behind a truck if he sees the lights in reverse, or if a truck is on … There’s just a lot of questions and a lot of inconsistencies right now, and until we know for sure, I can’t get closure.”
KHOU reported that Arlen Vargas, a father of seven, moved from California to Houston a few years ago to better support his family. The former welder recently switched to trucking.
“His kids were his life. That’s all he worked for. He tried his best to give them everything that they needed,” Kevin Vargas said.
Stephanie Larrimore, Seguin Police Department community engagement officer, told the Seguin Gazette that the driver moved the truck as soon as workers spotted Vargas. They attempted CPR on Vargas until EMS and police arrived. Police took over life-saving measures, followed by emergency medical service technicians, but he was pronounced dead.
In a statement to the Seguin Gazette, Niagara Bottling said, “We are deeply saddened to share that one of our trucking partners was involved in a terrible accident in the outside dock area of our Seguin, Texas, plant.”
“Our hearts go out to the individuals and families impacted by this accident, and we are working closely with the authorities as they conduct a thorough investigation,” the statement continued.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 2:00 AM.
