Forklift Operations Expert Opines on Fatal Accident During Material Delivery

Case Overview

This case involves an injury that occurred while a forklift operator was unloading materials for a large manufacturer of prefabricated homes in Hawaii. A truckload of plywood had been delivered on a flatbed trailer, and the driver began to unstrap the load via the trailer’s ratchet system. While he was disengaging the ratchet locks on his side of the trailer, an employee of the manufacturing firm approached the other side of the trailer with a forklift. Unaware of the fact the the driver was working on the other side of the trailer, the forklift operator attempted to remove material from the flatbed. However, the forklift driver accidentally stuck a pallet of plywood with one of his machine’s forks, causing it to fall off of the trailer and crush the driver working on the other side.