Boat Lift Goes into the Lake
 

Laconia Daily Sun:

Forklift takes plunge into big lake at Gilford yacht club


<DL class=article-info><DT class=article-info-term>Details<DD class=create>Created on Wednesday, 07 November 2012 03:43 </DD></DL>GILFORD — A forklift used to remove boats from the water fell into one of the boats slips yesterday morning at the Mountain View Yacht Club on Rte. 11-B
Deputy Fire Chief Rick Andrews said the 50,000 pound forklift had fallen nose-first into the water after the driver said the brakes failed.
The driver was able to jump from the forklift before it hit the water and was not injured.
While Gilford firefighters worked to contain then oil spill, club manager Dan Littlefield called for a crane and some divers from Dive Winnipesaukee to lift the forklift out of the water.
Crews from Reliable Crane Service of Laconia and the divers were able to secure a cable around the forklift and it was removed from the water at 2:30 p.m.
Crews set the forklift on its side and will upright it today.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Enpro Environmental Services of Pembrook, and the Gilford Fire Department used booms and absorbent pads to clean up the oil spill.

Photo From WMUR:
<FIGURE style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; WIDOWS: 2; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; MARGIN: 0px 20px 0px 0px; MIN-HEIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; WIDTH: auto; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; DISPLAY: table; FONT: 12px Arial, sans-serif; WHITE-SPACE: normal; ORPHANS: 2; FLOAT: left; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(26,26,26); WORD-SPACING: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px" class=ib-figure-image>http://www.wmur.com/image/view/-/173...ft-117-jpg.jpg</FIGURE>

I am happy to say the operator was not hurt. He posted on face book "I cheated death and voted for the first time all in one day!"

He is a very capable and one of the hardest working young man I know.

Yikes. First hand experience that forklift was having problems even starting. Hopefully they figure it out before next season.

Interesting.....
 

Will the owner of the forklift be fined for polluting the lake similar to a submerged snowmobile??

I would think so...
 

Not any different than a car going through the ice. They are liable for fines as well.

72 hours
 

You have 72 hours to remove vehicles from the lake before any fines are levied.

Been there, done that, got the wet T-shirt to prove it! :D

Dan

It varies
 

However, Marine Patrol will inform you to immediately hire someone to begin the search and recovery and DES will determine when and if fines are levied depending on how hard you are trying to find the sunken vessel. DES can be very understanding if they see a true effort to recover.


Been there, done that, got the wet life jackets to prove it :D

Was the Forklift made by GMC? (aka Jimmy)

I wonder if marine patrol will ticket them for an unregistered vessel in the lake and not having the proper floatation devices on board....😱

Glad he is ok...

What do you think the driver said just before it went in? Holy forking forklift! :laugh:

No Brakes, WHAT THE FORK!

Just when this thread was almost underwater it gets a lift from some new posts...

I have seen and watch the employees drive this many times, they always work in the upmost safe manner. With children and cars everywhere in the summer they always go slow and easy.

Hope the best for the employee.

I talked to the employee this weekend and he is fine and well. He said he jumped as soon as the front wheels went over the edge. He is a great asset to the Irwin organization.

I see something like this and I immediately think to myself, aren't regular inspections and maintenance going on?

On the flipside I am glad the driver is ok... and that really no significant damage was done, as it sounds as though everything was picked up quickly.....

I'm also glad the young man is OK...However...Looking at the picture it appears that there isn't anything from stopping the fork lift from going into the water if his brakes failed. Maybe there is, but the picture doesn't show it. IMO there should be some type of barrier that will stop anything from going off the end if you get too close.

If I remember correctly the metal sides come up a little...not much though.

Keep in mind for every foot you have in a barrier, that's another foot you have to lift the boat.