Matt Megginson was going about his day at Burris Logistics operating a standup forklift when his life ended far too soon. Reports indicate the forklift pinned him down and led to his death. To the credit of his coworkers, they administered first aid immediately but the damage had been done. Mr. Megginson was pronounced dead at the scene, according to NewsVirginian.com. My sympathies go out to his friends and family.
The Virginia Department of Labor has launched an investigation to see if any violations of safety regulations.
In 2007, the Department of Labor and Industry reported that workplace accidents involving equipment led to 23 deaths in Virginia (VA), which is 16 percent of the Commonwealth’s workplace deaths.
A startling fact in the report shows that every three days, someone in the U.S. is killed in a forklift industrial accident and close to 95,000 injuries are attributed to forklifts, according to a report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The report also reveals forklift accidents result in 100 pedestrian deaths and over 20,000 pedestrian injuries every year.
The evidence is clear – forklifts are a highly dangerous piece of industrial equipment and there needs to be strict oversight in how these hazardous devices are operated in the workplace.
About the Editors: Shapiro & Appleton& Duffan is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling accidents industrial accident cases involving heavy machinery. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our lawyers hold licenses in NC, SC, WV, KY and DC. We are ready to talk to you by phone right now—we provide free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll free at (833) 997-1774. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service.
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