Man crushed to death by forklift after trainee driver pulls wrong lever at Spanish industrial estate

112

The 45-year-old victim died instantly during a mandatory training session in Paterna, near Valencia

Ignacio Cabanes

A man has been crushed to death by a forklift truck during a training session at an industrial estate in eastern Spain.

The 45-year-old Colombian national, identified as Nelson A. G., died on Friday afternoon (29 May) inside a warehouse on the Fuente del Jarro industrial estate in Paterna, near Valencia.

The tragedy occurred when a 46-year-old female student, who was undergoing mandatory practical training to obtain her forklift operator certificate, reportedly pulled the wrong lever by mistake. It is understood she had no time to react before the vehicle struck the victim.

Emergency services were alerted to a potential workplace accident just after 6pm. Several patrols from the National Police and Paterna Local Police, alongside medical teams, were deployed to the scene.

However, paramedics could only confirm the death of the 45-year-old man, who had suffered catastrophic crushing injuries.

The driver, a Ukrainian national, was treated by emergency responders at the scene for a severe panic attack.

Judicial officials later authorised the removal of the body, which was transferred to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Valencia for a post-mortem examination.

Both the police and regional workplace safety inspectors have launched investigations to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.