Worker critically injured in forklift accident ID'd

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has identified the man serious injured in a forklift accident at an Eastside business Thursday.

According to a JSO report, 62-year-old Stanley Patrick was hurt in the incident at Flotech Valve Repair Services off of Evergreen Avenue. He is from the Glen St. Mary area.

Police said there was some sort of accident in which Patrick, got his arms caught under a forklift.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sgt. Wesley Davidson said the man was operating a forklift when another part of the forklift came down on both his arms. They had no information on his condition, but said the injury was not life-threatening. 

When asked if the man would lose both of his arms, Davidson said, "That will be up to the hospital to determine."

Jacksonville Fire-Rescue said the man was taken to UF Health Jacksonville, but could not release the nature of the injuries because of patient privacy rules.

So far the company is not commenting on the accident, but OSHA is. Area Director Brian Sturtecky was on the property investigating the accident.

"We do have a local emphasis program on forklift hazards. They are a well-known hazard throughout the industry. That's why we do have the emphasis program. Unfortunately, this shows they are a dangerous piece of machinery to work in and around, and unfortunately an employee lost his limb today," Sturtecky said.

Sturtecky said they will now spend the following weeks determining what happened and whether Flotech should be cited for any sort of violation.

"There would have to be a serious hazard, which there is because we do have an amputation. So if he was working on a piece of equipment that wasn't locked out or tagged out that led to this forklift to fall, we clearly have a violation of an OSHA standards," Sturtecky said.

JSO and OSHA are investigating the accident.
 


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Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.