A subcontractor for JetBlue died Tuesday afternoon after a freak accident involving a forklift at Boston Logan International Airport, officials say.
The unnamed 51-year-old forklift operator was killed in a loading area outside Terminal C near Gate C26 at the Massachusetts airport as he attempted to drive the heavy machinery through a bag service entrance, CBS News reported.
“An awning over the entrance contained a lateral metal beam with a sign indicating vertical clearance of 8 feet, 6 inches,” the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) revealed in a statement.
“The forklift’s backrest extension—a part of the equipment that attaches to the front and is designed to keep loads stable and protect the operator from loads falling toward him—was raised,” the statement continued. “The forklift’s extended backrest was too high to clear the lateral beam over the service entrance. 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.”
Forklift operator dies after heavy equipment falls on top of him at Logan Airport https://t.co/yP2OQQxqkO
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) August 30, 2023
Nearby workers who witnessed the accident used an aircraft tow bar to lift the forklift enough to pull the 51-year-old man out from underneath the heavy equipment. MSP officers arrived on the scene soon afterwards and attempted life-saving measures. The victim was transported to Boston Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead, according to MSP. (RELATED: ‘Ingested’: Ground Crew Employee Dies In Montgomery Airport Accident)
Though the victim’s name has not been released, police have revealed he was a subcontractor for JetBlue doing maintenance work for the airline when the incident occurred, WCVB reported.
Police said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.