In Fulton County, a man died after a forklift he was operating fell on top of him. The man was working at the Owens Corning facility located on McLarin Road. The incident occurred about 7 p.m.
Police on the scene indicated the 35-year-old man was the forklift operator that evening. He was not wearing a seat belt while operating the machine. As the forklift tipped to the side, the man slid out and fell on the ground. The forklift then fell on him and struck him in the head. He died at the scene of the accident. The authorities had not released his name, though noted he was a temporary worker for the company.
The Palmetto facility is managed by Excel on behalf of Owens Corning. The company stated it is working with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to evaluate the incident. It is also working with internal health and safety professionals to conduct a full investigation into what happened. The company is also providing counseling services to employees.
In situations like this, the family of the individual who died at work may be entitled to compensation for the loss. In this case, if the machine did not have a seat belt for the operator to use, it could be a violation of OSHA safety requirements.
In situations where a family member dies at work, while on work time or engaging in work-related activities, wrongful death lawsuits are common. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit not only can help the family to obtain the financial compensation needed, but also to prevent additional incidents from occurring.
Source: AJC, ” Man killed in forklift accident,” Angel K. Brooks, August 8, 2012.
Our firm handles situations similar to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Atlanta wrongful death page.
