22.12.2025

Aerial lift fatality in Denver

A United Airlines maintenance technician died late on Thursday night while driving or operating an aerial work platform after a second platform is reported to have crashed into it.

The incident occurred just before midnight on Thursday, 18th December. According to local reports, the deceased was working with “a cherry picker” when it suddenly came to a stop, causing another “cherry Picker” to crash into it, trapping the man in place. He was rescued relatively quickly but declared dead at the scene.

The US Occupational Health and Safety has opened an investigation, together with the Denver Police Department and United Airlines.

The airline issued the following statement: "A United Facilities maintenance technician employee was involved in a vehicle accident at work that resulted in his death. We are working with the employee's family and coworkers to provide support during this time, and we are also investigating the circumstances of the accident. We are cooperating fully with investigators.”

We are waiting on further information and will update this item when we learn more.

The following video is one of the local news reports.


Vehicle Comment

This is a strange one – while United has not yet supplied any details, we are reliably informed that it did involve at least one aerial lift. Given the information we have, we can only assume that at least one of the lifts was vehicle mounted and struck the other while travelling, BUT at this stage, this is not based on concrete facts.

One thing that this incident, along with several others we are currently investigating, is that this period leading up to the holidays is one of the most dangerous of the year, and the most tragic when incidents like this occur.

In the words of a recent CICA -Crane Industry Council of Australia- bulletin: “The run into Christmas is one of the riskiest periods on Australian construction sites. Nearly a quarter of workplace fatalities occur in the final two months of the year. It is the most dangerous time of year for workers. There are a few reasons why this happens, and none of them are a surprise: pressure to finish projects, hotter weather, end of year events, fatigue, stress and reduced staffing as people head off early for the holidays.”

Companies and individuals need to be extra diligent this week and over the holiday period.