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Forklift News Roundup: ‘Road Rage’ Leaves Forklift Operator Dead
An argument that erupted after a truck collided with a forklift at an Australian truck depot left the forklift operator dead and the truck driver in police custody.
The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, at the Crawfords Freightlines depot at Sandgate, Newcastle, just north of Sydney. Truck driver Geoffrey Strong 44, of Warabrook, apparently had a “minor collision” with a forklift driven by Glenn Allan Canning, 45, of Beresfield, according to news reports.
The two men apparently got into a verbal altercation, which escalated into a fistfight. According to witnesses, Strong punched Canning in the head several times while he was still sitting in his forklift.
Canning lost consciousness and was given first aid by his co-workers, as well as emergency medical technicians, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Strong was taken into police custody and charged with assault. He was released on bail after appearing in court still wearing his high-visibility work clothing.
Conditions of his bail require Strong to report to police daily and to stay away from witnesses, colleagues, and the victim’s family members.
Ironically, another forklift worker was killed at the same business last month after a tire failed while he was performing maintenance on a vehicle.
Forklift Strikes Train Overpass
In other forklift news this week, a forklift being transported on the back of a flatbed truck struck a train overpass in Mansfield, Massachusetts, just southwest of Boston, Tuesday afternoon.
The height of the forklift on the back of a truck traveling on Route 106 apparently was higher than the maximum clearance for the Amtrak train overpass. The collision caused the forklift to be tossed from the back of the flatbed into lanes of traffic, but there were no reported injuries.
The incident did cause a massive traffic backup as lanes on the heavily used roadway were closed in both directions as workers used a crane to lift the forklift back onto the flatbed.
An inspection of the railway bridge by Amtrak and engineers from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation determined that there was no serious damage and it was reopened to rail traffic with a few hours after the accident.
Video of the Week
Finally, in this week’s Video of the Week, here’s a warning to motorists who decide to park their cars in an area where forklift operators are working.
Workers in Carrickmacross, Ireland, used their forklift to lift and move a Ford Focus whose owner apparently parked it in a construction zone. The forklift operator can be seen carefully hoisting and moving the vehicle to a legal parking spot nearby.
Observers on the video can be heard commenting, “This is how we move cars in Carrickmacross.”
