Man killed in forklift accident at Des Plaines warehouse

A Northwest Side man died after a workplace accident Friday evening at a shipping warehouse in northwest suburban Des Plaines.

Urbano A. Merlos, 37, was pinned between a truck and a forklift about 5:30 p.m. at the facility at 333 Howard Ave. in Des Plaines, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Merlos was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he died of multiple injuries at 7:36 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the 500 block of West Altgeld in Chicago.

An autopsy performed Saturday found his death to be an accident.

C.H. Robinson, an international shipping company based in Minnesota, opened the office and warehouse earlier this year, according to their website. Neither Des Plaines police nor C.H. Robinson representatives could immediately be reached for comment.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection on Saturday, according to Scott Allen, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor. Merlos was employed at the warehouse by Andrews Staffing.