Man Crushed by Forklift Identified

A truck driver who was crushed to death by a forklift near Oxnard was identified Tuesday as Jose Enrique Uribe Ayala of Indio, according to the Ventura County coroner’s office.

Ayala, 42, died about 4:30 p.m. Monday at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard after being rushed there from a ranch at Los Angeles Avenue and Clubhouse Drive near the Saticoy Country Club, authorities said.

Ayala died from a crushed chest and abdominal injuries, said Craig Stevens, a senior deputy coroner.

Ayala, an employee of OM Trucking in Chowchilla, was helping unload a shipment of cardboard boxes when he became trapped between the arms of the forklift and the cab, Stevens said.

“For unknown reasons, he got up on the forklift to look at something and his foot hit a lever that brought the vertical arms back up and crushed him,” Stevens said.

After he was freed, Ayala staggered about 40 feet and collapsed. A co-worker flagged down a passing ambulance.

Ayala is survived by his wife and two grown children, who live in Indio. Funeral arrangements are pending.