A 60-year-old man collapsed in the plaza on the eastern side of the 24th Street BART station this morning.
He was dead by the time paramedics appeared on the scene. Elvis Mazariegos, the nephew of the deceased, was there by the time reporters arrived. The man’s name was Erbin Mazariegos, his nephew said. He worked in construction.
“He was like a father to me,” a visibly shaken Elvis Mazariegos said. He and his uncle shared a home on 24th Street. He didn’t know if his uncle suffered any heart problems, but he did have diabetes.
Family members are not sure why he was at the BART plaza.
“We are distraught,” said Erbin Mazariegos’ brother-in-law, Carlos Diaz. “It was completely unexpected.”
Elvis Mazariegos said the family would have to figure out how to collect the money to send his uncle’s body back to Guatemala, since that is the custom when immigrants die abroad.
This is a tragic event that could have probably been prevented. For one reason or another many people in our community fail to have doctor visits on a regular basis. I include myself on this long list. unfortunate events such as this one make me realize how little attention we pay to signs that our body is not healthy. This is due to having two jobs, no extra money, being intimidated by the hospital system or very little knowledge about healthy living. This great City offers free medical check ups low cost medical insurance. It makes me mad that people from surrounding cities take advantage of the services that locals dont even know about. Rest in Peace Mr.Mazariegos
The use of “immigrants” is inaccurate; if you send the body back home, he is not an ‘immigrant’.
It was a tough scene to see this morning.
Can you keep us updated on how to help this family?
We are in contact with one of the family members. We will update when we get more information on how to help.