A fatal workplace accident occurred on Thursday, 25 June 2026, at a rural estate in La Rinconada, Seville. A 54-year-old worker died after a horse suddenly bolted and struck him. Information from information from Andalucía’s 112 emergency coordination service, he had just stepped down from a horse-drawn carriage when the animal ran out of control, knocking him down and trapping him beneath the carriage.
The emergency call came in at around 8:20 a.m., reporting that a man had been run over by a horse. The coordination center alerted the Centro de Emergencias Sanitarias 061 and the Guardia Civil. Medical teams and people at the estate freed the victim and tried to help him, but he could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Guardia Civil was notified and attended the scene. The circumstances described indicate that the worker became trapped beneath the carriage moments after dismounting, as the horse bolted. Animal behavior and the movement and positioning of the carriage are relevant to the investigation, but do not, by themselves, establish the cause or responsibility.
Andalucía’s 112 service also notified the regional Centro de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales and the Labor Inspectorate because the death occurred during work. Under Spain’s occupational-safety structure, set out principally in Ley 31/1995, de 8 de noviembre, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, labor authorities may examine the employer’s risk assessment and the training and supervision provided to workers. They may also review animal-handling procedures and the carriage and harnessing equipment. Any administrative or criminal responsibility would depend on the investigation and subsequent prosecutorial or judicial findings.
Work involving horses can expose workers to crushing or trampling risks, as well as the danger of being run over, particularly when they are beside or behind a carriage. Occupational-risk prevention generally calls for assessing animal behavior and work routes, while using suitable restraint and harnessing systems. It also calls for safe working distances and task-specific training. These are relevant safety considerations for the investigation in La Rinconada, not findings about what caused this particular accident.
Spain’s Ministry of Labour and Social Economy publishes workplace-accident statistics by economic activity and accident circumstances. The information on this incident describes a specific death; it does not establish a wider trend in agricultural fatalities or accidents involving horses.
