Woman hit by forklift at SummerWinds nursery

Oct 19, 2023

A customer was hospitalized after she was struck by a forklift at a Palo Alto nursery while returning to her car on Friday, May 12, Palo Alto police spokesperson said.

The woman, who is in her 60s, was in the parking lot at SummerWinds Nursery, located at 725 San Antonio Road, where she was struck from behind by the forklift driven by an employee around 11:38 a.m. She was thrown to the ground and yelled for the operator to stop, which he did, police Lt. Con Maloney said.

The woman, a Los Altos resident, suffered bruising and abrasions on her face and knees and a laceration on her lower right leg. She was transported by Palo Alto Fire Department medics to Stanford Hospital for treatment.

The forklift was loaded with a pallet of soil and was operated by an employee of the nursery. The forklift operator is a Mountain View man in his 60s, Maloney said.

Officers determined the incident was a "workplace injury" and occurred on private property. Police immediately notified the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), which investigates injuries that occur on an employer's premises and involve the employer's equipment being operated by a worker. Palo Alto police didn't make any arrests or issue citations, he said.

A SummerWinds manager and Cal/OSHA didn't return requests for comment.