A 56-year-old woman died Monday afternoon in Miramar, Florida, after falling from a ladder while picking mangoes from a tree in her yard, according to the Miramar Police Department.
Lucrecia Cardozo was on a ladder in her garden when she fell to the ground. A neighbor discovered Cardozo on her lawn around noon and called 911. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Cardozo's 16-year-old daughter was reportedly inside their home at the time of the incident.
Her ex-husband, George Cardozo, told NBC 6 News that the family is in shock and grappling with the sudden loss. A neighbor, Ryan Raymond, told the Daily Mail that Cardozo often shared the fruit with neighbors, and his brother was particularly fond of her mangoes. Raymond noted the tragic irony, as he had been picking coconuts from his own yard shortly before learning of Cardozo's death.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fall. Janice McIntosh of the Miramar Police Department advised the public to exercise caution when harvesting fruit from trees, citing potential hazards such as power lines. "Just be careful. There could be power lines, anything, be careful picking mangoes," she told NBC News. "Watch your kids and height of the trees. Our hearts go out to the family, but accidents can happen at any time."