For years Tom LaJuenesse was one of Caterpillar Inc'.s best weapons against forklift liability suits. As the company's manager of product safety and ecology in the forklift division, he debunked legal claims that seat belts were necessary to prevent serious injury or death. Despite his courtroom prowess, however, in May 1987 he was mysteriously removed from all legal cases. What the note didn't say was that LaJuenesse had lost both his legs while doing tests on a forklift.
Forklifts are notoriously dangerous.
Government statistics and industry literature show that tip-overs have been the primary cause of classifiable forklift deaths over the years, and published studies verifying forklift instability have been available since 1957. Commonly counterweighted to balance heavy loads, empty forklifts can be dangerously unsteady, with even moderate turns initiating tip- overs. Worse, a forklift tends to fall slowly at first, deceiving the operator into thinking there's time to jump to safety. But moments later the forklift slams to the ground like a mousetrap, catching the operator and all too often causing dismemberment, crushing injury, or death. A seat belt would keep the operator in the protective cab, increasing his or her chances of surviving unharmed.