An airport grounds service worker lost her life in what officials are calling an “industrial accident.” In her death, the former basketball enthusiast is now at the center of a brewing negligence argument that questions if her employer did everything to guarantee her safety.

On Tuesday, Aug. 30, around 10:20 p.m., while working on her shift as a baggage handling supervisor at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Jermani Thompson succumbed to a fatal injury sustained on the job. The 26-year-old’s hair got tangled in the machinery of the belt loader after she attempted to secure luggage from a Frontier Airline flight, WWL-TV reports.

Emergency support swiftly took her to Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner, where she was pronounced dead.

The cause of death is unknown, but an autopsy of Thompson’s body is being scheduled to occur in the next few days, according to the Jefferson Parish coroner’s office.

The young woman’s mother Angela Dorsey spoke of some of her daughter’s last words to her.

“She was a basketball guru; do anything you ask her to do. What you need me to do,” said the bereaved mother, according to FOX 8 Live. “I just can’t believe it, you know, my only daughter is gone. I don’t believe it. It’s like, she just told me I see you when I come back.”

Serious about balling, the passionate athlete played at Riverside Academy, East St. John High School and Hesston College, the Kansas institution where she earned an associate degree. She also played for Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Her teammates have reached out to the mother after Thompson’s early demise.

Thompson was employed by GAT, a company that provides support on ground services for different airlines, where they affectionately called her “Jerm.”

The CEO of the business, Mike Hough, expressed his condolences over her loss, saying the leadership of the 40-year-old company is “heartbroken and are supporting her family and her friends as best as we are able.”

Questions linger around the timeline of the accident, with many questioning how the service provider is allowed to work with her hair exposed.

Patrick Zertuche, a traveler who had recently flown in from San Antonio zeroed in on safety policies when he asked, “You wear a hairnet in a restaurant. Why aren’t you doing a better job of protecting people in a workplace that is potentially so dangerous?”

According to the GAT employee handbook, “Long hairstyles should be worn with hair pulled back off the face and neck to avoid interfering with job performance.”

While for now it may be unclear if Thompson was following job safety protocol on the day of her death, Hough stated that his company is dedicated to safety and personally remind staffers to review the policy.

The executive stressed, “Never prioritize on-time performance above safety.”

In an email to Hough, WWL-TV asked if the policy on hair maintenance was strictly enforced. The outlet did not receive an answer.

Frontier Airlines has extended its sympathies to Thompson’s family. In a statement, company spokesperson Jennifer de la Cruz said, “We extend our deepest condolences following the tragic death of a team member of our ground handling business partner at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

The airport also released a statement through the airport’s director of aviation, Kevin Dolliole.

“We are deeply saddened about the tragic loss of GAT Airline Ground Support team member, Jermani Thompson,” Dolliole said. “The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport extends its sincere condolences to her family and friends, and also to our partners at GAT and Frontier Airlines.”

He added,”Jermani was a part of our Airport family. And we will continue to support one another in any way we can during this trying time.”