A 67 year old man died yesterday at the Hospital Comarcal in Vélez-Málaga as a result of injuries received when he fell in front of an ox cart.
The accident occurred at around 19:00 on Monday while the man was walking alongside an ox cart being prepared for the upcoming Almayate pilgrimage. The man, who was from Almayate but had recently moved to Vélez-Málaga, was experienced in handling and being around oxen and would often accompany his friends as they exercised the animals.
For unknown reasons, the man fell in front of the cart and was trampled by the oxen and run over by one of the wheels of the cart. The carts usually weighs in the region of 1,000 kilos.
He was taken to hospital in a private car where he underwent surgery for severe thoracoabdominal trauma. At around 22:00 he was taken to the Intensive Care Unit but at 07:45 on Tuesday morning he succumbed to his injuries and died.
The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known and there has never been such an incident in the area. Apparently, it is normally the case that the oxen either stop or go round anything which appears in their path.