Winthrop man dies after forklift falls on top of him at Boston’s Logan Airport

Aug 22, 2023

A forklift driver who was taken to Boston Medical Center with life-threatening injuries following an incident at Boston Logan International Airport on Tuesday has died, Massachusetts State Police said.

Around 3:30 p.m., investigators believe a a 51-year-old man from Winthrop, who was a subcontractor for JetBlue, tried to drive a Komastu forklift through a lower bag service entrance that had a clearance of 8 feet, 6 inches, state police said.

As he drove through, the forklift’s backrest extension — a part of the equipment that attaches to the front and is designed protect the operator from loads falling toward him — was raised, according to state police.

The backrest was higher than the clearance height, and collided with the beam at the top of the entrance, police said. This caused the forklift to tip over and fall on top of the man, who was thrown onto the pavement.

Several co-workers rushed over and used an aircraft tow bar to lift the forklift enough to pull the man out from underneath. State Troopers arrived shortly after and started performing CPR.

It happened in an outdoor loading area behind Gate C26 in Terminal C, where there is no public access, state police said.

The man was taken to Boston Medical Center where he later died, according to state police. He was the only person on the forklift, police added. His name was not released.

The man’s death is being investigated by The State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.

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