Andres Rodriguez, the 31-year-old Venezuelan show jumper who won the individual silver medal riding Darlon Van Groenhove at the Pan Am Games in Toronto last summer, has died from his injuries as the result of a car crash in Wellington, FL, the morning of Jan. 4th. The crash, in which he was the driver, took place at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club around 3:25 a.m, after he failed to negotiate a curb and crashed into a concrete pillar, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office. A passenger, Sophie Walker, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene; Rodriguez was taken to Delray Medical Center, where he later died. The Palm Beach Post reported at alcohol was a factor in the crash, according to the PBSO report.
A post on the Andre Rodriguez Official Facebook page reads:
“It is with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that Andres Rodriguez and his passenger Sophie Walker suffered a tragic car accident on Monday morning in Wellington, Florida. Circumstances of the accident are still unclear.
Sophie Walker passed away in the accident and despite all efforts Andres passed away a few hours later. We are lost for words. Our prayers and thoughts go to Sophie’s family, to Andres’ wife and family. RIP Chepito.”
Rodriguez, who was currently ranked 41st on the Longines FEI World Rankings, was a frequent competitor at North American venues including at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, and the Tryon Equestrian Center in North Carolina with his good string of horses including Fifty Fifty 111, Caballito, S.F. Ariantha and Verdi. His goal was to compete for the Venezuelan team at this year’s Rio Olympics, and his loss is a devastating blow to his country and the equestrian community at large. He married longtime sweetheart Clementine Goutal of the U.S. on December 5th, 2015.
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