A horse racing fan who was so excited at seeing his horse heading to victory that he ran out after it to cheer it on was run over and killed by the horse travelling behind. Malte 'The Twin' Velasquez, 49, vanished almost instantly as he was hit at high speed by the horse and rider. Eyewitness Davor Avalos, 38, said: 'I couldn't believe it, one minute he was standing there and the next second he was gone. It was like he was hit by a juggernaut, it was clear he didn't have a chance.' Moments before tragedy: Malte Velasquez ran onto a race track in Mexico when the horse he backed came home first . Racehorses can easily hit speeds of up to 40 mph at the track in Paraiso, in the south-eastern Mexican state of Tabasco. Friends of the dead man said he had gambled money on the horse and when he saw it was getting near to taking pole position, after coming from quite far back in the pack, he ran out to shout encouragement, and did not look behind him. Medics said he had died as a result of multiple injuries including a broken neck on the way to hospital. Too late: Mr Velasquez didn't realise that another horse was galloping to the finish line behind the one he'd backed to win . Brutal: Mr Velasquez was killed after the horse behind hit him 'like a juggernaut' Officials are now probing safety standards at the track after it was revealed in local media that the organisers could not hire security teams which had meant that many people had ended up standing on the racetrack putting their lives at risk. A police spokesman said: 'From the video footage we have seized, it seems as if the whole place was one big accident waiting to happen.' The dead man was married with two children.
Malte Velasquez died after being hit by a horse at a race in Mexico .
He had run onto the track in celebration at the horse he'd backed winning .
An eyewitness said the horse hit the Spaniard 'like a juggernaut'
Mr Velasquez died of multiple injuries while being taken to hospital .
A horse racing fan who was so excited at seeing his horse heading to victory that he ran out after it to cheer it on was run over and killed by the horse travelling behind. Malte 'The Twin' Velasquez, 49, vanished almost instantly as he was hit at high speed by the horse and rider. Eyewitness Davor Avalos, 38, said: 'I couldn't believe it, one minute he was standing there and the next second he was gone. It was like he was hit by a juggernaut, it was clear he didn't have a chance.' Moments before tragedy: Malte Velasquez ran onto a race track in Mexico when the horse he backed came home first . Racehorses can easily hit speeds of up to 40 mph at the track in Paraiso, in the south-eastern Mexican state of Tabasco. Friends of the dead man said he had gambled money on the horse and when he saw it was getting near to taking pole position, after coming from quite far back in the pack, he ran out to shout encouragement, and did not look behind him. Medics said he had died as a result of multiple injuries including a broken neck on the way to hospital. Too late: Mr Velasquez didn't realise that another horse was galloping to the finish line behind the one he'd backed to win . Brutal: Mr Velasquez was killed after the horse behind hit him 'like a juggernaut' Officials are now probing safety standards at the track after it was revealed in local media that the organisers could not hire security teams which had meant that many people had ended up standing on the racetrack putting their lives at risk. A police spokesman said: 'From the video footage we have seized, it seems as if the whole place was one big accident waiting to happen.' The dead man was married with two children.
by the horse travelling behind. Malte 'The Twin' Velasquez ran onto a race track in Mexico when behind him. Medics said he had died as a result of multiple injuries including a broken neck on the way to hospital. Too late: Mr Velasquez to the finish line behind the one he'd backed to horse behind hit him 'like a juggernaut'