An accident occurred at Logan International Airport on Tuesday, August 29, when a 51-year-old Winthrop man lost his life in a forklift mishap, according to the Massachusetts State Police (MSP).
The man, an employee of a JetBlue sub-contractor, was working in a non-public loading area near Terminal C when the incident took place at around 3:30 pm.
He was operating a forklift, which later struck part of a stationary structure near a service entrance. This caused the forklift to topple, with the machinery landing on the operator after he was thrown to the ground.
According to the MSP, the accident was caused by the raised backrest extension on the forklift. This feature, designed to stabilize loads and shield the operator from falling objects, was too tall to clear a horizontal beam over the service entrance. The collision of the extended backrest with this beam resulted in the machinery overturning.
After the crash, a nearby JetBlue employee, along with several colleagues, came to the victim’s aid. Using an aircraft tow bar, they managed to lift the forklift off the man. First responders, including MSP troopers, Massport Fire, and Boston EMS, arrived on the scene. The man was transported to Boston Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
In a statement, Jennifer Mehigan, a representative for Massport, which oversees Logan, mentioned that the individual was engaged in maintenance work. She also clarified that no aircraft were in the vicinity when the accident occurred.
Massachusetts State Police have since launched an investigation into the event, deploying patrols, detectives, and crime scene personnel to analyze the circumstances of the incident.
