It was described by an eyewitness as a “gruesome scene.” A worker’s leg became wrapped around a forklift’s axle after she was struck by it. Did the forklift driver get workers’ comp benefits for psychological injuries?
Samuel Paul Jackson worked for Ceres Marine Terminals in Virginia as a longshoreman.
On March 28, 2011, Jackson was operating a forklift when he struck Paula Belamy, a co-worker, causing injuries that resulted in her death.
Jackson didn’t realize at first that he had struck Belamy, but another worker quickly flagged him down. Belamy’s leg was wrapped around the rear axle. Other workers untangled her legs and dragged her from underneath the forklift.
A company superintendent said Belamy was still alive and communicative.
Jackson said Belamy was “pretty mangled – her arm was mangled, you could pretty much see the bone in her arm and her wrist and hand were twisted around backwards.” He watched the rescue efforts of police and the fire department.
The day after, Jackson visited his primary care physician. A week later he saw a social worker who recommended he not return to work for four to six weeks.
A psychologist first saw Jackson three months after the incident and diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A psychiatrist prescribed medication for Jackson. A second psychiatrist confirmed the PTSD diagnosis and said it was related to the work incident.
However, a third psychiatrist concluded Jackson didn’t suffer from PTSD because “he did not experience a threat to himself.”
