Most deaths in truck tipping occur when the driver jumps out and is crushed under the protective frame. Correct emergency behaviour — stay in the seat, hold on, fasten the belt, lean away from the fall direction — saves lives. Here is also first aid for crush injuries and personal protective equipment (safety footwear per EN ISO 20345, warning clothing per EN ISO 20471).
Introduction
A forklift is heavy and has a high centre of gravity, and despite all prevention it can tip — in a too-sharp turn, on a slope, with an off-centre load or a wheel in a hole. The key is not just avoiding the tip but knowing exactly what you do in the fractions of a second it happens. Here, those who manage separate themselves from those who get seriously hurt.
Why a truck tips over (short)
The truck overturns when the combined centre of gravity of truck and load slides outside the stability triangle — either forwards (longitudinal stability) or sideways (lateral stability). Cornering, hard braking, slopes and shifted loads are the typical triggers. See the entry on stability and centre of gravity for the physics behind it.
During an impending overturn
The instinct is to jump — but a human cannot jump faster than the truck falls, and if you jump, you land precisely where the heavy cab guard hits the ground. Therefore, the entire rescue logic is built on keeping you in the cab.
Operator protection (ROPS/FOPS) and harness
Two things only work together. The driver's cage (ROPS — Roll-Over Protective Structure, and FOPS — Falling-Object Protective Structure) is the rigid frame/roof that creates a survival space if the truck tips or gets goods on top of it. The safety belt is what holds the driver INSIDE that space. Without a belt the driver can be thrown out and hit the cage from outside — so the belt is not optional, it is the condition for the cage to work. The belt must always be used, and the employer must enforce it.
First aid for crushing injury
If a crushing accident occurs — a person under an overturned truck or between truck and rack/wall — a fixed sequence applies:
- 01Stop the accident: stop other trucks, secure the area so it doesn't happen again.
- 02Call for help: call 112 and clearly state location and that a person is trapped.
- 03Release only if it can be done safely: a heavy load/truck is not removed blindly — but airways and breathing are freed if possible.
- 04Life-saving first aid: if the person is unconscious without normal breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation; stop major bleeding.
- 05Stay with the injured person and keep them warm and calm until help arrives.
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