Undocumented immigrant didn’t have a license when he drove a forklift in a fatal crash
Among the things police say forklift driver Ulises Mondragon Umanzor didn’t have when he crashed into a Mercedes Sunday in Fort Lauderdale: a permit to work heavy machinery, a driver’s license, U.S. citizenship or any papers saying the El Salvador native should be in the United States.
The driver of the Mercedes, Fort Lauderdale resident James Zakos, lost his life.
Mondragon Umanzor, 30, sits in Broward County Main Jail on charges of a nonresident failing to obtain a driver’s license when required and failing to remain at an accident involving death. He’s also been ticketed for disobeying or avoiding a traffic device. The bond for all that is $200,000, but that’s immaterial because his immigration status — or lack of one — means there’s an immigration hold on him.
What Mondragon Umanzor does have: a driving history with three convictions for driving without a license, in 2011, 2012 and 2016; and one for driving around a barricade in 2018. He also has a $1,147.05 debt still owed on those tickets, according to Palm Beach County online court records.
As for who allowed Mondragon Umanzor behind a forklift, the contractor on the project, Skansa USA, said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this time.
“An investigation led by the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department is underway and we are fully cooperating with authorities. We are also conducting an internal investigation. Ensuring the safety of our workers and the public is our highest priority.”
Mondragon Umanzor was working for a Skansa subcontractor, which Skansa declined to name. The police report lists Mondragon Umanzor’s employer as “Cast One.” The two corporations named “Cast One” registered to do business in the state of Florida are Castone Corp., a company in Opelika, Alabama, and Cast-One Creations, a Doral company.
The Alabama company’s human resources person said by phone the company had no projects going in Fort Lauderdale at this time and Mondragon Umanzor didn’t work for the subcontractor it uses for Fort Lauderdale projects.
As for the Cast-One in Doral, neither a phone message nor an email was returned. When a Herald reporter stopped by the offices Thursday afternoon, nobody answered knocks at the locked office door. An employee driving a forklift, asked when the head of Cast-One would be in, said, “Tomorrow.”
The arrest report description of the crash said Mondragon Umanzor rolled west on Poinsettia Street toward Seabreeze Boulevard, but didn’t stop at the stop sign. This put the forklift’s forks into the southbound lanes of Seabreeze, where Zakos was coming in his 2008 Mercedes.
“The left side a-pillar (the part connecting the roof to the body) of Zakos’ vehicle struck the forks,” the report says. “The a-pillar was torn backwards and struck Zakos.”
“Zakos was transported to Broward Health Medical Center with life threatening [head] injuries. Zakos died as a result of his injuries.”
He was 70 years old.
Meanwhile, the report said, Mondragon Umanzor continued through the intersection for a block, stopped the forklift then walked away from the forklift. The report says he ignored a witness who told him he needed to go back to the accident.
Police say Mondragon Umanzor admitted he didn’t have a driver’s license or a permit to work heavy machinery. The Florida driver’s license number on his previous tickets is listed as suspended, the report said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 7:22 PM.
