94132 - PATHWAY TRANSPORTATION LLC

Truck Driver Struck and Killed by Metal Piping

At 12:00 a.m. on October 25, 2016, a truck driver and forklift operator were unloading 10 metal pipes from a flatbed trailer. The pipes were stacked vertically in three rows; the top row consisted of two pipes that measured 24 inches in diameter by 25 feet long, and the bottom and middle rows had four pipes each that were 24 inches in diameter and 40-feet long. The pipes were high density polyethylene (HDPE), which is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum and weighted approximately 1,100 pounds each. After successfully removing the top row of pipes, the forklift operator positioned the forks on the passenger side of the trailer to unload the second and third rows. The truck driver remained at the rear of the trailer while the pipes were being removed. As the middle row was being unloaded, one of the pipes fell from the driver's side of the trailer and struck the truck driver who later died. later died.