Man says forklift severed his leg

CHARLESTON - A West Virginia man says someone ran over his leg with a forklift and is suing the man's employer.

Lawrence Harrell filed a lawsuit Oct. 30 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Clonch Industries in Dixie.

The suit says Harrell, an employee of SKS and Associates, routinely picked up, transported and delivered wood products provided by Clonch, which had a business relationship with SKS.

On March 20, he was at Clonch refilling an empty container he had used to deliver something else earlier that day. Standard operating procedures dictated that he refill the container.

While doing that outside his truck, the complaint says "A forklift operated by an agent of the defendant backed over his foot and leg. The forklift operator then proceeded to move forward and severed his foot and leg."

Harrell says the forklift did not beep while maneuvers, as it is required to do, and that he sustained severe bodily injuries and disfigurement.

In addition to that, he is seeking compensatory damages for physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, great annoyance, aggravation, inconvenience, diminution of earning capacity, impairment of capacity to enjoy life and medical expenses.

H.F. Salsbery of Bailey and Glasser in Charleston is representing Harrell.

Judge Paul Zakaib has been assigned the case.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 06-C-2292