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View from beside the Avenue of the Giants looking back at the topsy-turvy forklift on Hwy 101 on the Hooker Creek Bridge. That’s a long way down… .[Photo by Matt Huber]The operator of a telescoping forklift on the Hooker Creek Bridge on Hwy 101 near the southern entrance to the Avenue of the Giants nearly tumbled over the edge and into the Eel River this afternoon.
View from beside the Avenue of the Giants looking back at the topsy-turvy forklift on Hwy 101 on the Hooker Creek Bridge. That’s a long way down… .[Photo by Matt Huber]
The piece of heavy equipment as seen from Hwy 101.[Photo by Dusty Hughston]The forklift ended up standing on its head in a blocked off lane of 101. According to Dusty Hughston, there was no delay for passing traffic “just a lot of people slowing down to look…From the freeway it looks crazy…with wheels in the air.”
The piece of heavy equipment as seen from Hwy 101.[Photo by Dusty Hughston]
Another angle. [Photo by Shanon Taliaferro]We’ve reached out to Caltrans for information on what occurred to the worker for their contractor in the incident. But as today is a holiday, we’ve had trouble getting information.
Another angle. [Photo by Shanon Taliaferro]
Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.
UPDATE 5:10 p.m.: According to Caltrans Sebastian Cohen area Construction Manager, about 1 p.m., “the contractor was moving some rebar and over-extended the boom and flipped it.” He told us, “Nobody was hurt.” Nor, he said were there any hazardous spills.
“United Rental is mobilizing to assess and attempt to upright [the equipment,]” Cohen told us, “but that may not occur until first thing tomorrow morning, depending on availability of necessary wrecker trucks.”
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The operator had to go home for a clothing change..
I hope that the operator didn’t get any crap in the Wild and Scenic River
The only crap the operator will get is from their Supervisor.
Perhaps you meant “compliant”. Disabling spell check is the first thing I do on any new device đ
C’mon guys, those comments are so old and cliche. Scary for the operator, but not worthy of a undie joke.
Duly noted, and agreed. I think the terrifying situation must have been truly gut wrenching.
You know the operator reached his target heart rate.
Are you telling me someone fell out of their seat in the cab and probably pulled a header into the river? WOW!! walking away is kinda a big deal.. in hindsight, he might face discipline for not being seatbelted in. Most companies see that as a major safety violation.
I suspect that ânearly tumbledâ was meant to describe the vehicle.
“Nor, he said were there any hazardous spills.”
Maybe not a spill, but if that rebar hit the river bed there just might be some iron oxide that went into the gravel! OMG! United Rentals are fish killers!
No ….it starts “The operator”….âŠ..
It was more of a ohh crap jump. Glad he is ok I thought it was going over. Never thought I’d see that kinda thing first hand.
Last fall kid jumped out of a rolling excavator in Southern humboldt, he was killed. Jumping out is also very risky.
Save that video for the morons at work on YouTube.
Well, I really don’t think the operator estimated the weight of that steel bridge beam and what it would do when he extended the boom out to lower the beam. I would consider him a very, very lucky guy, by not ending up on the bar/water and killing himself. I sure hope he had his seatbelt on, as I believe the front window on those can be opened. I wonder what his Supervisor is going to say? Just glad I am not there to hear it!
Ya know, that’s a good observation. By the picture provided, there is still something attatched that doesn’t at all look like rebar, yet the story says it was. But it doesn’t look like a beam either to me. And I don’t see any rebar on the river bed in the picture. There could have been some on the load that slipped off perhaps? Or is someone in the CYA mode?
I thought it was a steel beam in that it is attached with three steel cables. It had to be heavy to tip the equipment onto its nose when the boom was extended out. Just very happy the operator was not killed.
Leverage is a powerful thing
Iâll bet he/she will never do that again. Iâm grateful itâs a spooky picture instead of a vary sad story.
How do you know it was a he/she? Happy Presidents Day? Ugh
Itâs tough because Iâm patriotic and I love our country but unfortunately we are without a president⊠on Presidentsâ Day
You still paying 3 bucks for gas skitty? We the people.
Are you advocating for State mandated price controls? Aren’t our fuel distributors enjoying their right to charge based on demand? Sounds like you want socialism when it suits you. Or maybe it’s all nonsense! Maybe fuel producers are enjoying the profits of reduced production after covid slowed demand. There’s no chance fuel producers are both enjoying profits AND using the price squeeze to encourage disdain for an administration, right? Is Biden’s increase in gas and oil leases on Federal land since the previous administration a convoluted ploy to intentionally increase fuel prices,as a bid to increase his popularity?
The operator just might be Non Binary that’s why.
What does that have to do with anything? Being non binary?
Looks like a code brown situation.
It must have been a stabilization flipper failure. I noticed that both in the stored position .
You might as well grease er while itâs easy.
I’ve have had machines tip on me – it happens in slow motion and if the operator was on top of it, he would feel the tip, start drawing in the telescope and carefully lowering the boom. Otherwise, he’d have surely flipped into the river. Looks like a good save on the operator’s part.
Contractor’s operator, and equipment (rented)
Thatâll be after the mid-terms.
Being an operator and being forklift certified this is a major safety violation.first off ITS a job that a crane should be doing the contractor or superintendent of the job is being cheap trying to shave expenses at the cost of safety.osha is going to fine these clowns into oblivion because as Ernie pointed out the down rigger’s are in the retracted position.(saving 30 seconds cost these clowns big). Good luck with OSHA out there at hooker creek and glad to hear the genius operating didn’t get hurt
He was probably an “expert”, you know, the guys that don’t make mistakes… It looks like he made a mistake to me, but, what do I know?
He was actually a tech 1 with little experience. His Forman made him do this after being told multiple times it would go south.
Hook on to the machine with something heavy to keep it from going over and get in it and run the boom back in. Itâll come right back down. The scary part is over. Total pant shitter for sure!!
Good help is hard to find!
Recovery of equipment was completed around 10:30pm by Buddy’s Auto Center Towing & Recovery.
Thank you for letting us know.
Funny they just left it for the rental company! “Oops! But hey it’s a three day weekend!”
In the second picture it looks like the forklifts “Outriggers” were in the up position
Someone needs to check the math on the beam to forklift ratio! Wow
https://rumble.com/vvkd7s-2-20-22-humboldt-honk-freedom-rally.html
Smokin the green. Forgot to lower stabilizers.
that’ll cause a 3 year delay
Full story from someone whoâs partner works for the company. Forman on the site had been told in the past that it wouldnât be safe, yet still decided to have an employee with little forklift experience try it. Didnât turn out well. This company kind of pulls stuff like this often, this time was just worse than before. Oh and for those wondering, no, it wasnât rebar.
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