Garland, TX — Last August, a man died at a local forklift business in the Garland area after an apparent accident. On August 7, at Lonestar Forklift in Garland, 35-year old BJ Billings was killed after an on-the-job accident.
It’s not really clear how it happened, but the OSHA report said that a jack on the forklift accidentally slipped, which caused it to fall on Billings. Lonestar hasn’t released any statement about the accident since then and as far as we can tell with OSHA, the company hasn’t been cited yet — though it can take many months before a company is actually cited for any safety violations.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
I’m a little disturbed that this accident wasn’t talked about more in the news when it happened. I don’t know about you, but a forklift accidentally crushing someone is a pretty big deal. But beyond the shocking nature of this accident, I think it just goes to show how little attention agencies like OSHA get when investigating workplace fatalities. Folks, a lot of workers in the DFW area perform jobs like this man everyday, some of them are obviously more dangerous. Accidents happen every day in Texas and we hardly ever hear about it, much less if the companies are being investigated or cited.
True, there are some accidents that are the victim’s fault, but was this one of them? I’d like to find out more about this accident, because if it could have been prevented, then this company may still need to be pursued in some fashion. I did a little research on the company and couldn’t find any records of them even having workers’ compensation coverage, which may be a bad sign. It’s not right that these kinds of accidents get no attention from the media because it allows some companies to continue with shady and underhanded tactics because no one is shining a spotlight on them — and I’m not saying Lonestar is one of those companies, I’m just making a point.
If you’ve read my thoughts on this blog about work-related accidents and workers’ comp benefits, you’ll know that I’m no friend to that system. Ultimately, I feel like it short-changes the employees (and their families) while allowing the employer to get off virtually scot-free for accidents for which they should have been held responsible.
— Grossman Law Offices