Forklift drivers when travelling without cargo, have the forks at about 8 feet to clear the sight lines. It is what I was taught. In the warehouse, the forks were flat on the ground when parked. Raised up to travel. I loaded and unloaded a lot of drywall.
Guessing things have changed, or maybe different type of forklift, but forks were always to be ~6” off the ground when traveling. Forks higher up would cause center of gravity to be too high when making turns.
I’m assuming the forks may have not been involved in the severing, but the bulk of the machine running over him did the job. Terrible tragedy that looks like both parties were equally the cause of. Phone and driving, no safety vest, and the pedestrians are still responsible for looking out for machinery. When I visit plants you are drilled into your head that pedestrians do not have the right of way and you are responsible for making sure traffic is clear.