A 37-year-old man from Kuruman in the Northern Cape has died in the United States after a workplace accident on a farm in South Dakota. Cassie van Zyl fell from a truck while securing a tarp in windy conditions, suffering injuries that proved fatal.
He had arrived in America on 10 May on an H2A agricultural visa for his first season as a farm worker. Van Zyl, who previously worked as a truck driver in Zeerust since 2009, died on the evening of 4 June at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
Tragic sequence of events on South Dakota farm
Van Zyl started work on the farm shortly after arriving in the US. About a week later, while pulling a tarp over the truck body, strong wind blew it off and he fell. The impact caused a rib to pierce his lung.
Doctors initially believed he had only bruising and cleared him to return to work. A week later he began coughing up blood and was taken to hospital in Gettysburg, South Dakota. Medical staff then discovered the serious internal injury.
He was flown by helicopter first to Sioux Falls and then to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, where he was admitted to intensive care. According to information shared on a crowdfunding page set up by friends and colleagues, Van Zyl developed blood clots in his lungs. These led to heart failure and cardiac arrest. He also required dialysis.
Medical staff informed his family that they had done everything possible and could not intervene further if his heart stopped again. Van Zyl died at 6:33 p.m. on Thursday, 4 June.
Family remembers a caring and humorous man
Van Zyl’s fiancée, Amanda Jooste, said his death has left her heartbroken. She described him as a loving person who always went out of his way to help others.
“He was a good person and always tried to make a joke,” Jooste told Netwerk24. Friends and colleagues have launched a fundraising campaign to assist with his medical expenses.
Van Zyl had planned to return to South Africa on 6 December, his birthday. Funeral arrangements were still incomplete as of Sunday, 7 June.
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