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UPDATE to Logan Airport forklift accident:
The forklift operator involved in an industrial accident at Logan Airport was pronounced deceased at Boston Medical Center Tuesday afternoon. The victim was a 51-year-old male, and a Winthrop resident.
Preliminary investigation by the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County indicates that the victim was operating a Komatsu forklift in an outdoor loading area behind Gate C26. The victim was the only person on the forklift.
At approximately 3:20 PM the victim, an employee of a JetBlue sub-contractor, attempted to drive the forklift through a lower bag service entrance. An awning over the entrance contained a lateral metal beam with a sign indicating vertical clearance of 8 feet, 6 inches.
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 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.
A JetBlue employee who heard the crash and several other co-workers rushed to the victim’s aid and used an aircraft tow bar to lift the forklift enough to pull the victim out from underneath. Moments later MSP Troopers assigned to Troop F arrived on scene and began performing attempted life-saving measures.
Massport Fire and Boston EMS responded and took over emergency medical procedures. Boston EMS transported the man to BMC, where he was pronounced deceased.
The State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County is being assisted in the death investigation by MSP Troop F patrols and detectives, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section. The investigation is ongoing.
The victim’s name is not being released at this time.
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