North Carolina Woman Dies After Getting Stuck In A Bread Machine

This is horrific.

A 44-year-old woman from North Carolina has passed away after an unimaginable workplace accident. Virginia López Severiano, an employee at Azteca Market in Selma, became trapped inside an industrial food mixer (not the machine pictured above) on Tuesday morning, according to WTVD. She was transported to Duke University Hospital but ultimately succumbed to her injuries. Oh my!

Details of the incident are a little unclear, but according to fire officials who spoke with the outlet, Virginia was found with half of her body inside the machine after getting pulled in. She had been cleaning the machine, used to make bread, at the time of the incident. Once at the hospital, doctors initially planned to save her arm during an operation but Virginia died before they could head into the surgery, per WRAL. It’s unclear what other injuries she may have sustained.

Fire officials speaking to WNCN noted that because half of her body was inside the machine, it “took a little over an hour” to safely remove her. The Selma Fire Department elaborated:

“[Responders] basically took the machine apart in order to get the woman out.”

In a Facebook post, the Selma Police Department later thanked all the first responders for helping with the difficult extraction. Posting photos of the helicopter that transported the patient to the hospital, they reflected:

“The departments showed what it means to care for your community and fellow communities, they came together as one and after a very long and exhausting extraction, were able to free the worker, and they were transported by helicopter to Duke University Hospital.”

Miriam Amado-Lopez, Virginia’s daughter, confirmed her mother’s tragic death on Facebook, writing on Wednesday:

“My mom is the best mother a girl could have. She taught me resilience, the importance of hard work, and she showed me what true love felt like. From a young age my mom did not have the easiest life. She started working at a young age to help support her family and eventually decided to travel hundreds of thousands of miles to try to give her family a better chance at a good life.”

Heartbreaking…

The tribute continued:

“My mom was kind, funny, silly, hard-working, beautiful, a provider, a nurturer, and the backbone of our family. She always gave me everything that I needed when I was sick or made me breakfast whenever she was at home in the morning. I will miss that so much…”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the family. The description notes that the woman was “very loved” by her community. Those who wish to donate can do so HERE. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently investigating the accident, according to WTVD. Sending love to Virginia’s family and friends. What a terrible way to go… R.I.P.

[Image via GoFundMe & Food Network/YouTube]