Woman Killed in Louisville Forklift Accident

Authorities have identified a young woman who was killed in a forklift accident in Louisville, Kentucky Tuesday morning.

About the Louisville Forklift Accident

According to WLKY, 22-year-old Tomi Leigh Batts was fatally injured around 5:30 am when the forklift she was operating malfunctioned, leaving her with blunt force injuries to the head and neck.

Details on the accident are scarce, but police did say Batts was using the forklift to load a semi when the incident occurred. The events leading up to Batts’ death are still under investigation.

Employees told reports that Batts was new to the company, AAA Cooper Transportation, and had only joined the company a couple of weeks ago.

The company has declined to comment on the accident, but employees stated that their managers always stress safety as a top priority.

On the Job Injury Statistics

Following information provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):

• 4,405 workers were killed on the job in 2013. This averages to 85 deaths a week or more than 12 deaths every day.
• Of the deaths recorded in 2013, 3,959 occurred in the private industry – 796 of those occurred in construction.
• Common causes of work related injuries included falls, struck by object, electrocutions, caught-in/between.