A woman has died after being struck by a forklift in the parking lot of a Florida beach side motel, authorities said.
The incident happened just before 2 p.m. Monday near A1A and Browning Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores. The woman was living at the motel undergoing repairs for roof damage caused by Hurricane Ian, public safety department spokesman Michael Fowler told FOX 35.
The woman was walking through the motel parking lot when a company was delivering roofing materials, Fowler said. The forklift driver carrying the load of materials reportedly did not see the woman and ran her over, police said.
The victim, only identified as 62 years old, was taken to a hospital as a trauma alert and died a short time later.
"The driver has told us that he was looking between the two loads – there was a small space between the two loads – and that he was looking there, and he never saw the pedestrian," Fowler explained. "Unfortunately, when somebody told him to stop he backed up and most likely ran over her again."
The forklift driver is cooperating with the investigation, authorities said.
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"This was a tragic accident, and we will conduct a full investigation to determine what led to it," Fowler added.
Investigators are collecting evidence and conducting witness interviews to get a clearer picture of what happened. The city is expected to conduct its own investigation to determine if any charges will be filed in this case.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified since this is preliminarily deemed a construction accident, Fowler said.
