Forklift driver unknowingly hits woman cleaning out car, killing her, Georgia cops say
A woman was killed after being run over by a forklift outside an Atlanta-area business, Georgia authorities say.
It happened Wednesday, March 22, at an auto auction house in Lake City, Police Chief Mark Whitmire told McClatchy News. The business takes vehicles that have been involved in accidents, as well as ones that have been repossessed.
Investigators said the woman was near one of the gates to the salvage lot, retrieving personal items from her car, when a forklift carrying another vehicle came through the gate.
“When the forklift operator came through the gate he couldn’t see directly in front of him because of the car on the skids and did not see the woman,” Whitmire said. “He ran over her, killing her pretty much instantly.”
It wasn’t until the operator returned from unloading the car that he realized he had hit someone, the police chief said.
Authorities did not release the woman’s identity.
It’s standard practice for machine operators to honk their horns before going through a gate, but police said it’s not clear if the operator did that or if the woman just didn’t hear it. Authorities said he stayed on scene until officers arrived, WXIA reported.
Criminal charges aren’t expected, according to Whitmire.
Lake City is about 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published March 23, 2023 at 9:02 AM with the headline "Forklift driver unknowingly hits woman cleaning out car, killing her, Georgia cops say."