BOSTON – A worker at Boston’s Logan International Airport died Tuesday after an accident involving the forklift he was operating.
Massachusetts State Police said a forklift operator involved in an accident at the airport was taken to the hospital where he died Tuesday afternoon.
State police identified him only as a 51-year-old man.
Investigators say that the victim was operating a Komatsu forklift in an outdoor loading area by Gate C26 just after 3 p.m. on Tuesday, state police say. He was the only person utilizing the forklift.
The victim tried to drive the forklift through the lower bag service entrance, police said. The extended backrest of the forklift was too high to maneuver under the beam, according to WFXT. The beam had a sign attached to it that said it had a clearance of 8 feet, 6 inches.
“The extended backrest collided with the beam, causing the forklift to tip over and come to rest on top of the victim, who had been ejected to the pavement,” officials said, according to the news outlet.
An employee with JetBlue and other co-workers who heard the crash rushed to assist the victim. They reportedly used an aircraft tow bar to be able to lift it high enough so they could get the victim out from under it, state police said. Troopers arrived at the scene and began to perform life-saving measures on the victim.
The victim was taken to the hospital where he later died.
The Suffolk District Attorney’s Office’s state police are leading the investigation, according to WFXT.
The name of the victim has not yet been released, according to the news outlet.
