Serice Construction Employee Injured in Forklift Accident in Eden Prairie on April 8, 2011

According to Kare11, police and first responders were called to 6855 Shady Oak Road in Eden Prairie, Minnesota just after 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning, April 8, 2011.

The 911 call reported that a Serice Construction employee was pinned between a forklift and a garage door frame. When first responders arrived, he had been freed, but he was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Eden Prairie Police and OSHA are investigating the incident.

Each year, about 100 workers are killed in the United States, and an additional 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift accidents at work.

Forklift accidents can be caused by:

• Tipping over. Carrying loads that are too heavy can cause a forklift to overturn. Forklift overturns are the most common cause of fatalities involving forklifts. Forklifts that tip over can crush nearby workers, or crush the worker operating the forklift.
• Falling objects. Forklift drivers can be seriously injured or killed by objects falling and hitting the driver while operating a forklift. If the forklift is operated in a confined area, the risk of hitting something with the forklift or with the load, which then falls onto the driver is magnified. Falling loads can also seriously injure or kill workers who are near the forklift.
• Driver Ejection. Falling from a forklift is one of the most common causes of forklift fatalities for workers.
• Being struck by a forklift. Another common cause of forklift-related deaths is when a nearby worker is struck by a forklift. This can happen when a worker fails to notice an oncoming forklift, or if the forklift does not have signal alarms.
• Lifting workers. Forklifts are not designed to be used to elevate workers. Should the operator lose control, a worker elevated on a forklift can fall and be seriously injured or killed.
• Poor Driving Conditions. Poor visibility, narrow pathways, obstructed intersections, obstacles, and unsafe floor or ground conditions can all cause forklift accidents.

If you’ve been involved in a forklift accident at work in Minnesota, you may be entitled to Minnesota workers’ compensation benefits, including medical expense benefits, wage loss benefits, rehabilitation benefits, and permanent partial disability benefits. If you are hurt at work, make sure you receive all the benefits you are entitled to. For a free, no-obligation consultation regarding your workers’ compensation case, contact Meuser & Associates at 877-746-5680 or click here to send us an email.