How Quickly Can A Forklift Error Turn Fatal?
Every day, hardworking forklift operators help keep people safe. But sadly, many accidents still happen that could have been avoided. The incidents described in this report illustrate a bleak scenario regarding the risks presented by forklifts when safety measures are neglected or disregarded. From deadly crashes and crushing events to fires, tumbles, and disastrous transport breakdowns, every account demonstrates a heartbreaking result that might have been averted. These incidents are not merely workplace accidents—they are transformative occurrences that result in families mourning, businesses destroyed, and communities in shock. If there is no strong dedication to prevention, training, and accountability, these tragedies will keep occurring. Every incident serves as a stark reminder: when safety is overlooked, lives are lost, leaving families to deal with the aftermath.
Volume IV March 27th 2025
'Wouldn’t Want to Be in His Way': Stolen Forklift Taken on Auckland Joyride
Published March 27th 2025 Mayceys Confectionery owner Jasmeet Singh told the Herald the forklift was parked outside his Clarke St warehouse when it was taken. “One of our guys was chasing him. He jumped a red light and chased him up through Burger King but then lost him.” A staff member appealed for sightings on Facebook of the stolen forklift. “A man in a black hoodie stole our forklift which was being used by our store person,” they said. Read More
Forklift Incident Results in $180,000 Fine for Potato Producer
Published March 26th 2025: The incident occurred at Mitolo’s Penfield Gardens potato processing facility on 30 May 2022 when a worker standing next to his stationary forklift was struck by a second reversing forklift, suffering a crushed pelvis, spinal fractures and internal injuries. Read More
Adelanto Forklift Mechanic Dies in Work-Related Accident
Published March 25th 2025: The victim, 43, worked as a forklift mechanic and suffered fatal blunt trauma injuries at an industrial building in Los Angeles County. The accident occurred on March 18, 2025, according to the county coroner’s office. Read More
Woman Allegedly Trips Over Forklift at FAU Boca Raton, Sues For 50k
Published March 25th 2025: The woman was legally upon the property of the Defendant as a business invitee and as a member of the general public claims that she tripped and fell over part of a forklift at Florida Atlantic University is now suing the school’s board of trustees for more than $50,000. Attorneys for Leslie Albert just filed the lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. Read More
Flatbed Truck Hits Bridge Knocking Off Forklift It Was Transporting
Published March 24th 2025: A flatbed truck hit a bridge in Gardner with its payload Monday, knocking off the forklift it was transporting, officials said. Crews responded to the lower Parker Street railroad bridge after the forklift was knocked into the road, according to the Gardner Fire Department. The forklift was leaking hydraulic oil, but crews stopped the spill before it trickled into any nearby storm drains, the department said. Read More
Forklift Destroyed by Fire in Muncy Township Energy Company Warehouse
Published March 22nd 2025: While the forklift was destroyed, the company was able to resume operations on Friday, Oldweiler said, adding that had it not been for the fire alarm and sprinklers, the outcome could have been catastrophic for the business. Read More
Hyundai Confirms Construction Worker Died in Fatal Incident at Megasite
Published March 21 2025: Assistant Manager Bianca Johnson shared the Hyundai's official statement on the incident: Around 4:45 p.m. today, an incident occurred at the battery joint venture property on the megasite. The initial indication is that a forklift struck a worker, resulting in fatal injuries to the male victim. The incident is under investigation. A Bryan County Sheriff’s Office reports says after the accident, You’s body was “laying behind the forklift” and that there was “a blood trail approximately 10-15 feet long.” WTOC Investigates obtained photos of the scene, which we won’t be publishing because of their graphic nature. They show You’s body, which was severed from the waist up, laying in front of a forklift, which is labeled “Hyundai.” Read More
Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Forklift Fire In Buckingham
Published March 20th 2025: Lingohocken's Deputy 35 arrived on scene and reported a fully-involved forklift inside a large pole barn. Northampton's Rescue 3 arrived first and quickly extinguished the fire, containing the blaze to the forklift. (Got maintenance?) Read More
SafeWork NSW Cracks Down on Forklift Compliance With 140 Notices Served
Published March 20th: SafeWork NSW have revealed that they have issued more than 140 notices as part of a campaign to enforce compliance in plant machinery, the bulk of them related to forklift safety. Forklifts remain one of the biggest risk areas for Australian manufacturing and a major cause of deaths in the workplace. Read More
A Company Has Been Fined ￡86,000 After a Worker Was Crushed
Published March 20th 2025: Brian Donoghue, 62, had suffered a medical episode and fell onto the conveyor after getting out of his forklift truck on the Dollar Industrial Estate, Falkirk. The court heard the machinery restarted and a pallet on the conveyor began to press against Mr Donoghue, before a colleague noticed what had happened and pressed an emergency stop. Read More
St. Gabriel: Accident at Chemical Plant Leaves One Person Dead
Published March 20th: The incident involved a forklift and a tote. That tote was being moved when it somehow slipped off the forklift triggering the accident. At this time, officials say they do not suspect any foul play, but the investigation is ongoing. Read More
Forklift Accident Claims Life, Sparks Safety Investigations
Published March 19 2025: A tragic accident at a warehouse has led to the death of a worker after he fell from his forklift, sparking investigations and raising community safety concerns. Authorities have been prompted to investigate the company and its section chief for potential violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. The incident occurred on March 18, 2025, when the worker was operating the forklift, which was loaded with 45 pallets. Read More
1-Year-Old Killed by Forklift in Central Pennsylvania
Published March 18 2025: The girl died from multiple traumatic injuries on Saturday, March 15 at a private residence on a farming property in the 100 block of Horseshoe Road in Leola. An investigation revealed the girl was struck by a forklift that had been operating on the property where she lived, the coroner said. Read More
Forklift Driver Dies in Mishap at Kuching Factory
Published March 16 2025: A 70-year-old forklift driver was killed after an apparent workplace accident at a factory in Pending Industrial Estate here yesterday afternoon. Kuching district police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah, in a statement last night, said the incident was reported by the factory at around 4pm and a team from the Bintawa police station was dispatched to the scene. Read More
Man Killed After Being Impaled by Forklift Blade
Published March 16 2025: Elderly A 70-year-old man was killed after he was impaled in the chest by a forklift blade at a factory in the Pending Industrial Area in Kuching, Sarawak, yesterday. Kuching police chief Farhan Lee Abdullah said the man was operating the forklift when the incident happened at about 4pm, Harian Metro reported. Read More
Provigo Worker Fatally Crushed in Forklift Accident in Boucherville
Published March 16 2025: According to preliminary information, the victim was crushed between a forklift and equipment used to change forklift batteries, Audy-Lacroix wrote to The Gazette, noting that inspectors for the CNESST have begun collecting data at the scene. Read more
Employee dies in forklift-related accident at Appleton company; OSHA investigating
Published March 12 2025: According to a statement from a Department of Labor spokesperson, the incident occurred at Progressive Converting ("ProCon") on East Glendale Avenue. The spokesperson stated the Appleton Area OSHA Office has opened an investigation "related to forklift operations." By law, OSHA has six months to complete its investigation. Read More
领英推荐
Scrapped Forklifts Litter Roadway After Semi Truck Load Shift
Published March 11 2025The semi truck was hauling scrapped forklifts when it took a right turn from State Route 57 onto the Interstate 90 eastbound ramp. During the turn, the load shifted, causing the tractor trailer to overturn.?Read More
Traffic Snarled on M-53, Truck Driver Issued Citation for Unsecured Load
Published March 5th, 2025: The M-53 railroad viaduct, just south of E. Third St. in Imlay City claimed another victim last week after a tractor-trailer semi loaded with forklifts failed to make it under the railroad crossing safely. According to Imlay City Police Chief Brett Selby, a semi-truck hauling five Hi-Lo forklift machines struck the viaduct around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Read More
Horrifying CCTV Shows Sunderland Welder Crushed in Shipyard
Published February 25th, 2025: David Vinsome, 37, sustained multiple rib fractures as well as internal injuries, including an abdominal wall burst, after the incident at Pallion Shipyard on October 18, 2022. Read More
OSHA investigating death at Tyson plant in Dakota City, NE
Published January 7th, 2025: Federal authorities have confirmed to KTIV that a death occurred at a Tyson Foods plant in Northeast Nebraska. A U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson says the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as OSHA, is investigating a “workplace fatality” at Tyson Foods in Dakota City. Read More
Weeping Farmer Jailed for a Year After Accidentally Killing His Boy, 3, With a Forklift
Published February 28, 2025: Dad Neil Speakman was left shattered when fatally hitting his boy with a forklift on his farm in 2022 - now he's been sentenced for health and safety breaches. (Everyone wants justice, but this gives you pause). Read More
Forklift Incident Lands Repeat Offender $50,000 Fine
Published March 5th 2025: In October 2024, Minus 1 Refrigerated Transport Pty Ltd was fined $20,000 without conviction in the Dandenong Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to provide or maintain a system of work that was safe and without risks to health. Following an appeal, the original sentence was set aside and the County Court imposed a conviction and a $50,000 fine on Friday 28 February. Read More
Forklift Tragedy Claims Young Worker’s Life At Yamagata Factory
Published February 24th: A tragic accident has claimed the life of a 26-year-old employee at the Chateraise factory located in Yamagata Prefecture on the morning of the 24th. Kagawa Kō, the victim, was reported to have become trapped between the mast of the forklift and the chassis of the truck during rescue operations. Read More
Family of Man Killed in 2021 Forklift Incident at Frenchman's Reef Jobsite Awarded Nearly $6.9 Million
Published February 22: On July 17, 2021, 50-year old John Nigg was operating a forklift on the site of Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort, which was undergoing major renovations at the time. The forklift toppled over and Mr. Nigg was trapped beneath it and crushed to death. Read More
Forklifts serve an essential role in warehouses and industrial settings but they stand as one of the most hazardous equipment types in the workplace. Workplace safety measures and training programs exist but they fail to stop forklift-related accidents which still result in deaths and serious injuries. Every workplace accident underscores the continual dangers employees confront and emphasizes how vital safety protocols truly are. The curated collection focuses on recent forklift incidents which detail workers who died in accidents that could have been avoided. Through this examination of the incidents we strive to pay tribute to the victims and emphasize the critical demand for enhanced safety measures and awareness in the workplace. All instances teach us about the vital need for vigilance and proper training regardless of whether they result from mechanical failure or human error and neglected safety measures. The memory of those who lost their lives in these tragic events inspires us to initiate wider discussions about future accident prevention methods. We must use their stories as drivers for meaningful change beyond mere numerical data.
Fatal Forklift Crash at Benson High Construction Site Stemmed From ‘flawed Decisions,’ State Finds
Published February 19th: A spokesperson for Oregon Occupational Safety and Health said Monday that the agency has opened an investigation into the woman’s death and that “preliminary information indicates it was an accident involving a forklift.” Read More
Tragedy As Man, 30s, Killed in Horror Workplace Accident Involving Forklift
Published January 29: It is understood that the young man was fatally injured while attempting to remove a forklift truck from a ditch. Read More
Woman Injures Husband in Fresno County Domestic Violence Incident
Published February 22: The woman told officials she was trying to escape her husband following a domestic violence incident before calling for help. Officials say the woman and her husband had a physical argument and she tried to drive away before the situation escalated. Read More
Florence F?o?r?k?l?i?f?t? Suspect Takes Out Two Designer Cars Sitting in Man's Driveway
Published February 18th: A forklift put its pedal into the metal of two priceless cars in Omaha's Florence neighborhood over the weekend, driving thousands of dollars worth of damage into the heart of an auto enthusiast. Read More
OSHA investigating death at Tyson plant in Dakota City, NE
Published January 7th, 2025: Federal authorities have confirmed to KTIV that a death occurred at a Tyson Foods plant in Northeast Nebraska. A U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson says the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as OSHA, is investigating a “workplace fatality” at Tyson Foods in Dakota City. Read More
Key Links:
We would enjoy hearing from you; let’s start a dialog!
For more information, insights, or conversations regarding your forklift or material handling needs. You can visit our online contact form, call us at 763-425-9066, or email [email protected].
We would welcome the opportunity to address your material handling questions or concerns. Toyota Lift of Minnesota works extremely hard to be your partner and material handling consultant. Remember this: "you have a guy" in the forklift and material handling businesses.
Are you located outside of Minnesota or Wisconsin? Find your local authorized Toyota Forklift Dealer through their dealer locator.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on X (Twitter) or Facebook.
Did our post generate any ideas for you? What are your thoughts or plans? What are your next steps? Give us some insights [or feedback] through comments! Thank you!
Kyle Thill - How Quickly Can One Forklift Error Turn Fatal?
Sr. Sales Development Consultant @ SIERA.AI
3 天前The critical factor is the speed with which a seemingly minor error can escalate.