Posted on 12/23/2025 3:34:22 PM PST by lowbridge
A forklift driver was allegedly talking on the phone when he struck and killed a 45-year-old man.
According to WTOC, new information has emerged about a fatal forklift incident that occurred in April at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America site.
The report states that 45-year-old Sunbok You, the CEO of Hyundai subcontractor SBY America, was struck and killed at the HL-GA Battery Company construction site. While speaking with workers at around 4:45 p.m. on March 21, You walked across a road before being struck by a forklift.
The Bryan County Sheriff’s Office told WTOC reporters at the time that You’s body was “lying behind the forklift,” with a 10- to 15-foot-long trail of blood. The outlet obtained graphic images of the incident and reported that You was severed from the waist up in front of a forklift labeled “Hyundai.”
HL-GA Battery Company issued the following statement to the outlet around the time of the incident:
“Recently, there was a tragic incident at the site of our manufacturing facility in Bryan County which resulted in a fatality. We express our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of the deceased. We are offering support services and are reinforcing safety protocols. We are fully cooperating with OSHA on the investigation.”
An OSHA report reviewed by WTOC reportedly states that You was wearing a black vest and an eye patch over his right eye while on the construction site and was not wearing a high-visibility green vest, as required by HL-GA Battery Company rules.
A translated statement given to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by a safety manager stated that the forklift driver was talking on the phone while operating the vehicle and “ran away” without checking on You after the collision.
(Excerpt) Read more at local12.com ...
If the forks hit him just right it could chop him in half quite easily and evidently it did. Those things don’t mess around.
Gruesome is an understatement.
You was on first???? To soon??
Hit a fire sprinkler standpipe...did the pump come on???
Surf’s up baby
Yes. The standpipe was for an entire warehouse section. It was a geyser and a river. Fortunately the building wasn't in low land and the runoff flowed out of the building instead of flooding it.
I'm not sure if the sprinkler system was a retrofit but there were a lot of people other than the forklift driver who also failed: The owner, architect, engineer, builder, and sprinkler system installer should have had protective bollards around the pipe (which were installed after the incident).
Did you get to see it or just the aftermath?
It is impressive and makes things moist
I saw the aftermath which still included the geyser and flooding. Cameras were not as common back when it happened but the incident would have certainly made the rounds on "fail" video sites if it had been captured.
One positive outcome was that no one doubted the sprinkler system would work.
You should see the systems used in aircraft hangers. They dump so much water you can’t see out of the hanger.
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