Lufkin Accident Traps and Kills Hudson Man Between Forklift and Sheetrock

Drake Thomas Floyd, 19, was in the process of unloading some sheetrock at McCoy’s Building Supply store in Lufkin, Texas when he became trapped between a truck and the sheetrock on a forklift. Our Houston forklift accident attorneys note that significantly, the emergency brake on the forklift had reportedly been set, but the vehicle rolled forward anyway and trapped and crushed Drake Floyd against the truck.

Authorities did not know how long Mr. Floyd had been trapped against the truck. Customers on the loading dock found him in that state. Mr. Floyd reportedly was in a state of cardiac arrest, and had likely been deprived of oxygen for some time before rescuers revived him with a defibrillator. Drake Floyd suffered serious internal crush injuries from the Lufkin forklift accident and was airlifted from Lufkin to a Houston hospital for his critical injuries, where he died peacefully.

Drake Floyd was the son of the public works director for the City of Lufkin, and a well-respected employee of McCoy’s and alumnus of his Lufkin high school. (Sources: Francesca Washington, ktre.com; and Rhonda Oaks, The Lufkin News, 8/29/13)

The Houston forklift accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC express their deepest sympathies to Mr. And Mrs. Steve Floyd, and to other family, friends, and colleagues of Mr. Drake Floyd.

The Serious Hazard Posed by Forklifts in the Workplace

Our Houston forklift accident attorneys report the following key numbers about forklift injuries in the American workplace:

• According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, around 100 U.S. workers die each year in fatal forklift accidents.
• Almost 35,000 U.S. workers each year receive serious forklift accident injuries on the job.
• Over 61,000 U.S. workers receive non-serious injuries each year in forklift accidents.
• Deaths and serious injuries from crushing are the most common type of forklift accident.
• In 29% of all forklift injury cases, it’s the forklift driver who is injured.
• 11% of forklift fatalities occur when the victim gets crushed between two vehicles, as happened in the tragic Lufkin accident at McCoy’s Building Supply.
• 25% of victims are crushed between a forklift and another surface such as a loading dock.
• Some of the forklift accidents are linked to equipment defects or to negligent maintenance of the forklift’s brakes, steering, or hydraulic systems. The Houston forklift accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC mention that an equipment defect or maintenance issue might be at fault in the tragic Lufkin accident, since reports indicated that the machine’s emergency brake had been set prior to the vehicle rolling forward to crush the young employee of McCoy’s Building Supply.

Click the link to read some important tips regarding forklift safety.