ST. CROIX — A man died on Friday afternoon following an accident while operating a forklift, V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glen Dratte has announced. The incident occurred at about 1:53 p.m. at High Quality Concrete, located at #8 Estate Cottage near the shooting range off the Melvin Evans Highway.
According to Mr. Dratte, Moutasem V. Yousef, 24, was operating a forklift lifting bags of raw cement in the amount of 3,200 pounds. Following reviews of video footage of the accident by police, it was determined that Mr. Yousef was reversing to turn around the base when the forklift flipped on its left side.
Eye witnesses — including Mr. Yousef’s father who owns the company — were also interviewed. Police gathered that Mr. Yousef hit his head on the metal guardrail causing his death.
The victim succumbed to his injuries sustained during the accident and was pronounced dead at 4:22p.m. at the Juan F. Luis Hospital by a medical attendant at the hospital’s emergency room.
High Quality Concrete officially opened on December 1, 2015 and was founded by the owners of the Stop and Shop Supermarket in Frederiksted.