Amarillo Globe – July 29, 2003

PLAINVIEW, TX - A forklift accident killed an 11-year-old Plainview girl Sunday.

Angelica Ramos died of injuries sustained when she fell off the forklift that she was riding on and was run over, said Hale County Chief Deputy Richard Sims.

The accident happened about 8:20 p.m. Sunday at the old cotton oil mill northwest of Plainview.

The forklift was driven by John Craven, who was trying to carry a 55-gallon drum of water to a garage he leased near the mill, Sims said.

Ramos and Craven's daughter were riding on a pallet along with the barrel of water when the forklift hit a hole, knocking Ramos to the ground, then under the wheels of the forklift.

Craven rushed the girl to the hospital, which was about a mile away, but doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

Sims said investigators looked into the incident and determined that no charges were warranted.

"It's a pretty bad deal," Sims said. "It tore him (Craven) up pretty bad. He shouldn't have had those girls up there, but who would have thought about something like that happening? It was just an accident, an unfortunate accident."

This very sad story illustrates why passengers are not allowed on forklifts either in the drivers compartment or on the forks.