TOCCOA - An on-the-job forklift accident claimed the life of a Mt. Airy man at a sawmill in Stephens County Tuesday afternoon.
Trooper 1st Class Jesse Lewis of Georgia State Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa provided details of the incident Tuesday night.
"Today at about 4:11 p.m. we got a call from Stephens County Sheriff's Department about an accident on private property at Wilkinson's Lumberyard, located at 4052 Highway 184 in Stephens County," Lewis said. "Upon arrival at the scene we noticed that a forklift had fallen off probably about a five-foot concrete platform. The driver was underneath."
Lewis identified the victim as 54-year-old Billy Joe Irvin of Mt. Airy.
"From what we could tell from the evidence and the one witness that we had, the driver of the forklift just got too close to the ledge," Lewis said. "The front left wheel went off the ledge. At that time it started to tilt over. The driver jumped but was unable to clear and the forklift landed on top of him."
Lewis said Irvin apparently was not buckled in at the time.
"There was a seatbelt on the forklift, but it appeared that he was unrestrained at the time of the accident," Lewis said.
Lewis said an autopsy will be conducted at the State Crime Lab.
OSHA will be conducting a separate investigation since the incident occurred while Irvin was on the job, Lewis said.
