We've said it before on our Pittsburgh workers' compensation blog, but it bears repeating: Workplace accidents can happen just about anytime, anywhere. Obviously, some workplaces are more likely to be the site of a workplace accident, but there are plenty of cases where serious injury or even death have been the results of accidents that nobody would have expected.
A case in point involves an incident in New York recently in which an employee was using a forklift. According to reports, the worker was using a walk-behind forklift -- one in which the operator stands upright, rather than riding in a seat -- to push another forklift up an incline.
It isn't clear exactly what happened, but it appears the walk-behind forklift wasn't able to support the weight of the second forklift. The walk-behind forklift gave way, rolling backwards. The 22-year-old man who had been working it was crushed between the forklift and the wall; after he was transported to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead.
There are more questions than answers at this point. Was the procedure that the employees followed one that adhered to company policy? If so, was the equipment that was being used able to handle the types of load that was being pushed at the time of the accident?
Workplace accidents in which employees are hurt can lead to complex workers' compensation claims -- ones that can encompass medical bills and loss of earnings. These claims may often be best handled by attorneys experienced in these types of cases.
Source: CBS New York, "Man Crushed, Killed In Brooklyn Forklift Accident," June 10, 2014
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