Forklifts are dangerous. Another fire dept story. Got called to the local manufacturing place for a worker hit by a forklift. Get there and the guy has his legs under the body of the forklift. He is alert and in a lot of pain so he got morphine as we worked to get him out from under the 40,000 pound monster. We ended up using airbags to lift it off of him. Airbags are amazing tools, by the way. When we lifted it enough we slid a backboard under him and then slid him out.
What had happened was he was walking across the drive inside the building, crossed in front of the forklift and realized he had forgotten something and turned to go back. His feet slipped on the floor and went out from under him and into the path of the forklift which wasn't able to stop in time. The load was about 10 inches off the floor and went over his legs which then went under the wheel of the forklift. The load was about 4 tons and add to that the 20 tons of forklift and the fact that the driver hit the brakes hard and the pressures under the front wheels were astronomical.
His ankles were squished to about 3/8" thick. Tissue squeezed through the weave of his socks. Imagine putting a sausage in a sock and using a 20 ton press on it. Amazingly little blood and to everyone's amazement they were actually able to save one of the legs. Was a long recovery and investigation by OSHA which levied hefty fines to the manufacturer.
Another was a forklift in the pit of a loading dock. Driver got off of it to shovel up the crap that always finds a way into the pit and the forklift rolled back and pinned him to the wall with the counterweight. Pelvis and femurs were crushed. Actually broke the ball end of one femur. That one has been so long ago I don't even remember what the final outcome was. The person lived but I don't remember if they ever walked again. Very little blood again but legs bending in a way that was totally unnatural.
There were good times on the fire department though, they just don't stick in the memory like the bad times.
