18.11.2023

Fatal boom lift incident

A man died in Manhattan, New York on Friday morning when he was struck by a boom lift his father was driving.

The father, 42, was manoeuvring the lift - a JLG 800AJ from the My Tool Rental fleet - across the intersection of East 7th Street and First Avenue in the East Village - as he moved it from the work area onto a waiting delivery truck. His son, Ommatt Cruz 19, was, we understand, directing traffic and guiding the unit onto the ramp of the truck, when the machine unexpectedly surged towards him, causing a fatal injury. He died at the scene.
Please register to see all images

A witness said: “The operator either did not hear him or wasn’t paying attention and seemed to hit the throttle too hard and must have pushed the controller in the wrong direction as the machine surged into reverse, running over the boy, and killing him.”