Worker who died at Sanger’s Pitman Family Farms identified. It’s 2nd death in a year

For the second time in less than a year, an employee has died at the Pitman Family Farms plant in Sanger.

The employee was killed on Wednesday in an incident with a company tractor-trailer. According to a statement from the Sanger Police Department, he had entered “a dangerous area between the tractor-trailer and its rear wheels, resulting in fatal injuries.”

Emergency services were called to the scene, where the employee was pronounced dead.

The victim was identified in an update later Wednesday by the Fresno County Coroner’s Office as Jose Abrego, 19, of Sanger.

Cal/OSHA and other agencies were notified for follow-up procedures, the police said.

There was no indication of foul play.

Pitman Farms — the family-owned farm and poultry processing company behind “Mary’s Chicken,” a popular line of organic and free-range chickens — is one of the largest employers in Fresno County, according to state employment data. Workers at the Sanger-based processing plant cut, grind and package chickens, as well as other poultry products.

In May, the plant was the scene of another incident that resulted in the death of an employee. In that case, 66-year-old Jesus “Chuy” Salazar drowned after falling into a waste pit that contained a mixture of chicken feathers, remains, waste, fat and water.

A report by The Fresno Bee earlier this month found that hundreds of mostly Latino immigrants employed at Pitman Farms endure long hours of grueling work that state record and interviews revealed to be dangerous and damaging.

This story was originally published February 21, 2024 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Worker who died at Sanger’s Pitman Family Farms identified. It’s 2nd death in a year."