ORLANDO, Fla. — A longtime Delta Air Lines employee who died in an accident at Orlando International Airport is being remembered as a devoted family man, loyal friend, and hardworking employee who spent nearly three decades with the airline.
49-year-old Daniel Maldonado died Thursday after the FAA says an aircraft towing vehicle struck a passenger boarding bridge at the airport.
Friends say Maldonado dedicated most of his life to working at Orlando International Airport as a Delta ramp agent, building a career that lasted close to 30 years.
Raymond Santiago, Maldonado’s best friend, says the two started working for Delta together shortly after high school.
“He wanted to always travel, always go back and forth,” Santiago said. “And he said, what a better way than working at the airlines.”
The two went through Delta orientation and worked baggage handling together in their early years.
Maldonado, the son of South American immigrants, took pride in his work and especially valued the opportunities the airline industry gave him to stay connected with his family in Columbia.
Santiago says he first learned about the airport accident through the news but didn’t immediately realize his best friend was the worker who died.
“I was watching the news and saw that there was an accident at the airport,” Santiago said. “There’s so many ways that things can go wrong out there.”
Hours later, he discovered Maldonado had been killed.
“For somebody that’s worked there for so long and knew the ins and outs and everything there was to know about our airport, you want to know what went wrong, how it went wrong,” Santiago said.
The FAA and OSHA are investigating the accident.
The Orange County Medical Examiner ruled Maldonado’s death an accident.
Delta Air Lines released a statement saying the company is focused on supporting Maldonado’s loved ones and coworkers during the difficult time.
“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. Delta also says it is cooperating with authorities during the investigations.
Friends say Maldonado was deeply committed to providing for his family and being a good father to his three sons. Santiago says that dedication is what he will remember most.
“That’s what I’ll always remember about him,” Santiago said. “Just how hard he worked and how much he loved his family and how he wanted to do better,” speaking of Maldonado being a first-generation American.
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