What accident do you anticipate from this picture?

It was required to forward a lift truck of 2-ton capacity to the NEXT job in a vast plant compound. For this purpose a truck was used to tow the lift truck with a 3.5-meter long wire rope. En route the truck driver is about to make a shift change to increase the traveling speed. What accident do you anticipate from this picture?

This is the accident resulted!

As a result of the shift change, the lift truck was drawn closer to the truck, because a momentary difference in speed reduced the distance between the two vehicles. This took the lift truck driver by surprise. He hit the brake in a hurry and turned the steering wheel to the right to avoid a collision. What happened NEXT was that the lift truck was strongly pulled sideways and rolled over. The operator was thrown under the lift truck and killed.

Tips for forestalling the accident

A lift truck is all likely to overturn for the structural reason, if an operator makes a sharp turn or a sudden stop. Therefore, it should be avoided to tow it with a truck even for a short distance, but load it on a truck and fasten it so that it will not move around while in transportation.

For your reference: A towing pin at the rear of lift trucks is provided only for bailing them out.

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