The Northern District Attorney's Office filed an indictment on Tuesday morning against a 26-year-old Sri Lankan national accused of fatally running over his 38-year-old coworker with a forklift at a factory in the village of Bu'eine Nujeidat.
The incident occurred last month during the evening hours. Police received a report of a workplace accident at the factory, and Northern District police officers and forensic investigators were dispatched to the scene.
Medical teams arriving at the scene were forced to pronounce the death of a 38-year-old factory worker, also a Sri Lankan national. The suspect, likewise a Sri Lankan citizen, was arrested at the scene and taken to a police station for questioning.
The investigation found that the defendant, who does not hold a driver's license, got onto the forklift outside working hours while under the influence of alcohol.
According to police, the defendant ran over his coworker while driving the forklift, despite attempts by other workers to prevent the collision. The workers shouted at him to stop, but he continued driving.
The suspect's detention was extended several times, and on Tuesday morning, the Northern District Attorney's Office filed an indictment charging him with reckless manslaughter, reckless driving causing substantial bodily injury, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Chief Inspector Gal Farkash, an officer in the Investigations and Intelligence Division at the Tiberias Police Station, commented on the incident.
"This was an especially disturbing scene, in which a worker tragically lost his life as a result of the defendant operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol," he said.
Farkash noted that the incident was captured on camera.
"In the video documenting the incident, factory workers can be seen trying to prevent the forklift from continuing to move and even shouting at the defendant to stop. However, he continued driving and caused his coworker's death."
Farkash added: "The combination of alcohol consumption and operating any vehicle is extremely dangerous. In this case, operating a powerful forklift ended in the loss of a human life."