Medical incident may be cause of Delta worker's fatal crash at Orlando airport

Silas Morgan, Orlando Sentinel on May 13, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — The Delta Airlines employee killed last week at Orlando International Airport may have suffered a “medical event” that led to his fatal crash, according to a new medical examiner’s report.

Daniel Maldonado, 49, of Auburndale, was killed Thursday while driving a tug, a vehicle used to tow planes, that crashed into a jet bridge, the walkway used by passengers to travel between a terminal and a plane, according to a report recently released by the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office.

The report says Maldonado, who had a history of heart problems, may have suffered an unspecified medical incident that caused him to drive the tug underneath the jet bridge. He became wedged in between the tug and the bridge and died from from multiple blunt-impact injuries.

The crash occurred around 11 p.m. while a Delta flight full of passengers was parked at the jet bridge. The passengers had to exit the plane using its rear door and stairs, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Operations were paused at Delta’s Orlando terminal that night following the collision, with one departing flight being canceled, according to the airline.

Maldonado was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police informed the medical examiner’s office Thursday they were trying to obtain surveillance footage showing Maldonado driving the tug as it was heading toward the jet bridge. The medical examiner’s office is also trying to obtain the footage so it can determine Maldonado’s alertness or incapacity during the crash, the report said.

Delta confirmed Monday the “loss of a team member” in an on-the-job incident, although the airline did not name the person killed or specify what happened.

After the crash, both the Orlando Police Department and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said they were investigating the fatal accident.

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