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A forklift operator has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after he collided with a truck in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture.
According to police, the accident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The male truck driver contacted police after the forklift struck his vehicle and the operator fled, Sankei Shimbun reported. When police arrived at the scene, the suspect, Saburo Ohata, 51, had returned and was given a breathalyzer. Alcohol in excess of the legal limit was detected.
Police said Ohata admitted to purchasing and consuming two 500 ml cans of beer at a convenience store prior to the accident.
© Japan Today
15 Comments
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asiafriend
Agreed, as I have seen injuries in a warehouse due to the carelessness of others. I have also seen forklift operators purposely drop loads so that the time to clean up the mess would extend into overtime, which was quite lucrative for them.
ebisen
Haha, glad to see I wasn't the only one trying to promote this masterpiece!
Sven Asai
@ebisen. Yes, that’s exactly the fitting video footage. You were some faster… As far as I remember, it’s been produced about 20 or 25 years ago by the logistics worker’s union in my former home country for warning educational purposes, but made it instead quickly onto the index of forbidden videos because of too much disturbing blood and violence. It really was a countrywide hype at that time and everyone had downloaded and watched it. Of course I still keep a local copy of that unique timepiece too…lol
ebisen
What Japan lacks is a good "safety promotion video" on forklifts. Here, one you won't regret watching ;) (pretty efficient, btw)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ChOHnSL7ZCg
smithinjapan
Kyo wa heiwa: "And why is it suspicion of drunken driving when there's a witness and the forklift driver admitted to it"
Can't say he's guilty, by law, until he is formally found guilty and charged.
garypen
Alcoholism, amongst a few others, seems to be a topic nobody in Japan wants to discuss.
Arrrgh-Type
Forklifts are no joke, folks. They may look small, but they weigh more than many passenger cars due to the need for ballast to balance when lifting loads. And the forks themselves are incredibly strong in their own right- they could wreck just about anything, human bodies included.
Ask anyone who's worked in a warehouse environment. Being around a drunk forklift driver is not a place you wanna be.
Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne
Apparently the truck driver wasn't injured at all ?
And why is it suspicion of drunken driving when there's a witness and the forklift driver admitted to it
Cricky
Why not? Not like life is going to get better.
stickman1760
barley sandwich, haha.
3RENSHO
"Police said Ohata admitted to purchasing and consuming two 500 ml cans of beer at a convenience store prior to the accident."
The 2 cans were his dinner! An everyday habit...guilty of eating on the job!