Crime & Safety

Mentor Man Dies After Falling From Forklift

Drago Glavas was doing electrical work at a Willoughby manufacturer when the accident occurred

A Mentor man died after falling from a forklift Monday in Willoughby.

Drago Glavas was at Coit Tool Co., working as an independent contractor, when he fell.

Gravas, 47, was working on an electrical conduit that was about 16 feet away from the floor, according to Willoughby Police Lt. Tom Trem.

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He had been lifted off the ground by a forklift and was balanced on a pallet that had a rail, Trem said.

Gravas had only been off the ground for about a minute when he and the pallet fell. He struck his head on a metal work bench when he hit the ground, Trem said.

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Willoughby firefighters took him to Lake West Medical Center, where a medical helicopter was called to fly him to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. However, we was pronounced dead before the helicopter arrived.

Trem said they do not know what caused Gravas and the pallet to fall but it looks to be an accident, not foul play. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was contacted and will investigate the incident.

Gravas was a first-generation immigrant who had moved to the United States about 10 years ago, Trem said.


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