The family of a security guard who worked for Mark Zuckerberg and passed away from a heart attack after climbing a steep hill is currently suing the creator of Meta for wrongful death.
When Rodney Medeiros, 70, was discovered working a shift at Mark Zuckerberg’s property at Kualoa Ranch in Kauai, Hawaii, he was discovered with his hand over his chest. He was taken to the hospital immediately but passed away that day.
On August 4, 2019, Medeiros was working at the base of a steep slope on Pilaa Beach when it began to rain, forcing him to climb the cliffside hill alone.
The security guard’s family claims that the heart attack he had after attempting to ascend the slope was so severe that it tore a hole in his heart and caused him to begin bleeding out.
Following Medeiros’ unfortunate death, Zuckerberg’s security manager approached his family and offered them money to cover burial costs. They said no.
But the following morning, they were presented with a $7,500 check marked “provided by Mark [Zuckerberg] and Priscilla [Chan]” as a contribution.
The family is currently suing Pila Land LLC, a business owned by Mark Zuckerberg, for negligence and wrongful death.
Rodney’s daughter Ziba Medeiros stated to Hawaii News Now: “It is $7,500 for our father’s life.” Does this mean it’s now acceptable?
He was bleeding out because the heart attack he suffered tore a hole in it.
Staff was unable to pick up Medeiros by ground transportation due to the severity of the rain. Just hours before he passed away, he was seen leaning against a tree and gripping his chest.
Usually, a four-wheeler would be used to transport the retiring sugar cane worker down the hill and back up again.
They would take him with a Kawasaki Mule and drive him to his post, according to Medeiros’ bereaved daughter.
They would descend, pick him up, and bring him back up when his shift was over.
Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for Zuckerberg’s family, stated that Medeiros received on-site medical assistance before being taken to Wilcox Hospital.
The cardiologist at the hospital said, “The physical strain of climbing the hill was a big factor that triggered the acute incident.” Medeiros’ heart attack was caused by this, he said.
The ranch would have had to spend $1,000 to change the tyres on the four-wheelers that would have taken him to the top of the hill, according to Michael Green, an attorney for the Medeiros family.
Green remarked, “It didn’t need to happen.” He would not have needed to walk,
The family of Rodney Medeiros was unable to place a monetary value on his life when asked how much compensation they would demand for his passing.
Nothing will make it okay, according to Ziba. Nothing will be able to bring him back, it is said.
Ziba claimed that after initially being taken aback by the $7,500 check, the family decided that the money from the billionaires would not be enough.
LaBolt responded to the incident by claiming that the check was a donation made to the family by the Zuckerbergs, who owned the ranch where Rodney worked.
According to LaBolt, the funds were intended “to assist with burial and funeral expenses.”
Part of the reason for the lawsuit stems from the discussion the family had with Zuckerberg’s security manager.
The manager mentions that the ranch has previously experienced problems with staff transportation during heavy rains in the chat, which the family taped.
The manager is heard saying, “I know it’s happened on previous visits.” “The guards must approach.”
To the assertion that the ranch had rain problems in the past, LaBolt retorted that the ranch had “a training programme all drivers must undergo to operate” the four-wheelers.