Custodian Dies Trying to Stop Vehicle

An experienced custodian died from multiple blunt-force injuries while trying to stop a rolling pickup truck.

He had driven the company-owned truck to a manufacturing plant to pick up cardboard containers. The victim backed the truck onto a loading dock and stopped its engine, but apparently left the automatic transmission in reverse instead of setting the parking brake. The victim got out of the truck and stood inside the building.

A forklift driver loaded one lift of cardboard containers into the bed of the pickup truck, which shortly afterward started to roll down the incline of the loading bay. The victim ran in front of the truck and may have tried to stop it from rolling down the driveway—a four percent incline leading to a parking lot.

The victim was run over by the pickup, which continued to roll until it hit a drainage curb. Emergency medical personnel tried to resuscitate the victim, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

To reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, investigators recommended:

• Vehicles with automatic transmissions should have their transmissions left in the park position.
• Parking brakes should be set when vehicles are parked.
• Vehicles parked on inclines should have their wheels chocked.
• Employers should design, develop and implement a comprehensive safety program.