Sometimes, seemingly-unrelated factors can make the difference between life and death for a seriously injured person. Such was the case of a man who was involved in a warehouse accident in Portland late last month. The man obtained more than one serious injury and according to paramedics, the fact that the refrigerated warehouse where the incident occurred had a temperature of only five degrees likely played an important part in his survival.
The incident occurred at the Western Box Meat Company when a 65-year-old man backed the forklift he was driving into a support beam, resulting is his being pinned and crushed by the forklift. He had no pulse after he was freed by several employees, but after CPR was performed by the responding paramedics, his heart rate returned to normal and he had a viable blood pressure. The man was taken to Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Hospital where he underwent surgery, but there has been no additional word on his condition.
At this time, it’s not entirely clear who was at fault in the accident. However, if investigators determine that another person’s negligence or unsafe property conditions played a part in the forklift collision, the injured man could have reason to bring a personal injury claim against his employers and the owners of the warehouse where the accident occurred. Employees deserve to have a safe workplace, and like anyone who is injured as a result of another person’s negligence, they deserve to be compensated for any injuries sustained due to no fault of their own.
Source: NWCN, “Man pinned by forklift in freezing warehouse,” Michael Rollins, Sept. 27, 2011
