5-year-old crushed to death by forklift while playing inside warehouse, Alabama cops say
A 5-year-old was crushed to death by a forklift while playing inside a warehouse, police in Alabama and news outlets said.
Police responded around 4 p.m. on Dec. 18 to the Tennessee Valley Authority Reservation in Muscle Shoals after reports of an accident involving children, WHNT reported.
Two children, including a 5-year-old, were under the supervision of their parents when they “snuck away to play inside a warehouse,” police told WAFF. The oldest child was operating a forklift when the 5-year-old fell off and died from their injuries.
An autopsy was performed at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences after the Alabama Department of Human Resources came to investigate the incident, WHNT reported.
Police said the death was ruled an accident, according to AL.com.
The child’s name was not released due to their age, WAYY reported.
“This is a horrible tragedy and our condolences go out to all of this child’s family,” the Muscle Shoals Police Department told WAFF.
McClatchy News reached out to the Muscle Shoals Police Department on Dec. 22 and is awaiting response.
Forklift accidents account for 34,900 serious injuries and 85 deaths annually, according to the McCue Corporation.
Muscle Shoals is about 104 miles northwest ofBirmingham.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 1:32 PM with the headline "5-year-old crushed to death by forklift while playing inside warehouse, Alabama cops say."
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