The truck driver died on Thursday at 10:10 a.m. when he was travelling on AP-8 to Bilbao. The truck pulled out of the road and crashed into the railing, where it got trapped. The worker lost consciousness not because of a traffic accident, but because of a heart attack, according to the main hypothesis of the Department of Security of the Basque Government.

The sector affected by occupational deaths has become one of the most important in recent times. The trade unions criticise the poor working conditions of lorry drivers and their precarious employment. Last March, for example, another truck driver suffered a heart attack in Elorrio, after the treatment and tension he suffered when the truck was stuck on a road that he could not leave. It was a worker of Bulgarian nationality who was subcontracted by a company.

According to data from the LAB syndicate, more than 20 people have died in Hego Euskal Herria from early August to the present day, and 49 have died this year. In the absence of three months for the end of the year, we are on track to exceed the number of deaths recorded throughout the year 2017. Last year 54 workers died, of whom, according to ELA, one third were employed in subcontracted companies.

Also in Iparralde

In addition to the territories of Hego Euskal Herria, in Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea and Zuberoa, occupational accidents have become a serious disease. On Wednesday, another worker died in Gamarte (Garazi, Baja Navarra) while he was cutting branches on the mountain, according to the Basque Department of Security.

One of the branches of the oak that he was cutting down fell upon him. At 14:30 hours the emergency service was notified and upon arrival, the worker was located under the branch. He was transferred by helicopter to the hospital in Baiona, where he died in the evening, according to the Basque Department of the Interior.