Man Crushed To Death By Forklift: Kane County Medical Examiner

ELGIN, IL — A 38-year-old Carpentersville man has died after being crushed by a forklift at Hitachi Transport System in Elgin last week.

First responders arrived at the warehouse in the 300 block of River Ridge Drive and found Daniel B. Knabusch Jr., whose supervisor said he was operating the forklift at the time, caught between the side of the forklift and a metal cage that contained freight, according to Battalion Chief Dick Cummings.

Knabusch was pronounced dead at Advocate Sherman Hospital on Thursday, June 3. The Kane County Coroner's Office listed the preliminary cause of dead as asphyxiation due to a "forklift mishap." Toxicology samples were sent to a forensic lab for further analysis, the Elgin Police Department said.

Cummings said Knabusch's co-workers reported seeing him 20 minutes before the event.

According to his obituary, Knabusch is survived by his two daughters; his mother and stepfather; his father and stepmother; four brothers; a stepbrother; and a stepsister.

Representatives from Hitachi Transport did not immediately respond to requests for comment.