Forklift driver killed in accident at Fort Worth Walmart facility identified by family

A forklift driver was killed in an accident Friday morning at a Walmart distribution center in north Fort Worth, officials said.

A spokesperson for the Fort Worth Fire Department said the woman was apparently crushed between a forklift and a pallet rack and died at the scene.

The accident occurred at the Walmart distribution center located at 15101 N. Beach St.

The woman’s family identified her as Elena Rios.

The law firm Varghese Summersett is representing the family, according to a statement from the law firm.

“On Friday morning, Elena Rios, a mother of four and grandmother of 13, was tragically killed in a Walmart forklift accident,” attorney Ty Stimpson said in the statement on behalf of the family. “Elena was a 10-year employee for Walmart, certified to operate forklifts and other heavy machinery.”

Elena Rios, 68, died in an accident while driving a forklift at her job at a Walmart distribution center in Fort Worth on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Family photo/Courtesy: Varghese Summersett law firm
Elena Rios, 68, died in an accident while driving a forklift at her job at a Walmart distribution center in Fort Worth on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Family photo/Courtesy: Varghese Summersett law firm

“The family first learned about the accident on the news and was given conflicting information about what occurred,” Stimpson said on Friday afternoon. “They retained the law firm of Varghese Summersett to thoroughly investigate the accident into the untimely death of the matriarch of their family. Elena, 68, was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She was planning to attend her granddaughter’s softball game this afternoon after she finished her shift at Walmart. Sadly, she never got that chance.”


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