A 13-year-old boy who had gone to visit his father at work Saturday died after the forklift he was playing on toppled over and crushed him, according to a report by WNBC-TV.
Kevin Hrcka was pronounced dead following the noontime accident at Miron Building Supply in Queens, N.Y., police and business owners said.
The boy was waiting for his father to get off work at 1 p.m. when he found the keys in the ignition of the forklift, started the engine and drove about 100 feet before the machine flipped over and landed on him, the business owners said.
"He drove down the yard full speed and tried to make too sharp of a turn," said Derek Messing, vice president of the company.
Workers "rushed over with another forklift and lifted" the machine that was crushing Kevin off of him, said Messing. The rescue effort, however, “was too late,” he said.
Messing said he believed the boy's father might have been in a locker room changing out of his work clothes when Kevin got on the forklift.
Police said they were investigating why Kevin was on the machine, as well as what caused the forklift to tip over, according to WNBC-TV.
According to Messing, the keys to the forklift are often kept inside the machine throughout the day so workers can use it a few minutes at a time.
Benny Messing, the company owner, said the company will “make sure there are no more unauthorized people here.”
Boy, 13, killed in forklift mishap at father's workplace (1/22)
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