Van Nuys : Site of Forklift Fatality Under Investigation

State occupational safety and health investigators Tuesday were on the site of a Van Nuys nursery where a forklift operator was killed Monday afternoon after he was pinned between his machine and a tractor-trailer.

Roberto Crespo, 40, was crushed just before 3 p.m. when the forklift he was operating at the Green Arrow Nurseries rolled over after he had gotten off, said Rick Rice, a Cal/OSHA spokesman.

Crespo did not work for the nursery located at 14537 Sherman Way, but it was unclear whether he was employed by someone else or was an independent contractor, Rice said.

Onlookers extricated Crespo from the equipment by the time firefighters arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.