Advocates for Florida farmworkers are calling for community support after a traffic accident this week in Marion County killed eight farmworkers and injured dozens. The workers were traveling in a bus to a farm in Dunnellon
The driver of the pickup truck that struck the bus carrying the workers has been charged with eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter.
Mexico鈥檚 President says 44 of those passengers were working for a Mexican-American farmer under H-2A visas.
Ernesto Ruiz, said families of the injured workers may be dependent on their wages, and because of this crash there could be wider impacts to their families.
READ MORE: Mexican citizens were traveling to work at a farm when killed in a DUI bus crash
鈥淲e talked to the brother of one of these workers, and he said that one of the ones who survived, that his first concern was 鈥榓re we going to work tomorrow,鈥欌�� Ruiz said. 鈥淭hat shows the gravity of why they're here. And the reason for the urgency of why they're here. They're leaving their families to a foreign country where they're often treated poorly, not because it's a joy for them. But because it's an economic necessity.鈥�
The agricultural work is low-paying and comes with few benefits. Ruiz said that makes this accident an even greater financial burden to those involved.
鈥淲orkers do not have health coverage. They're here without any healthcare.鈥� Ruiz said in some cases, they could be entitled to workers compensation, 鈥淚f they are injured when they're not working, as is the case here, it is our understanding that it would be the responsibility of the transport company/鈥�
Ruiz is calling on the community to appreciate the labor that comes from these agricultural workers and his organization started a Go Fund Me to support the victims and families.
鈥淲e often hear about the more migrant farmworkers that are coming here to do crime that they're immoral people, and it is infuriating,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淚nfuriating that these eight individuals lost their lives. Some people don't have fathers, some people don't have brothers and sons now because of this reckless drunk.鈥�
Both and the organization expressed messages of condolences for the victims and their families.
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