All too many accidents happen when a truck unexpectedly moves away from a loading dock.  This type of accident is referred to as “an early departure accident.”  They are so common, they have even been named.  In virtually all cases, early departure accidents are preventable.  When a cargo carrying vehicle unexpectedly moves away from a loading dock, an accident can follow shortly thereafter.  Either a forklift falls to the ground below, injuring and even killing the forklift’s operator or material handlers and often the cargo they are handling rains down upon them causing further injury.  Typically, truck loading docks and cargo carrying motor vehicles are about 48 inches above ground level.  Forklifts of the type used for loading and/or unloading commercial motor vehicles and manually operated pallet jacks can weigh several hundred pounds on up to over 10,000 pounds and more if they are carrying cargo at the time of the accident.

Numerous devices have been developed to p...